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Reformed  Presbyterian  Churc 

in  North  America. 
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Memorial  Volume: 


COVENANT  RENOVATION 


liY    THE    SYNOD    OK    THE 


Reformed  Presbyterian  Church 


«^   NORTH    AMERICA.      On/Knoc! 


PUBLISHED  BY  ORDER  OF  SYNOD. 


"They  shall  ask  the  way  to  Zion,  with  their  faces  thitherward,  saying, 
Come,  and  let  us  join  ourselves  to  the  Lord,  in  a  perpetual  covenant,  that 
shall  not  be  forgotten  "     Jet.  50;  5. 


PITTSBtJRGH: 

BAKEWELL   &   MARTHENS. 

1872. 


This  volume  is  published  in  jiccordance  with  the  following 
action  of  the  Synod  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church  in 
North  America  : 

"I'he  Committee  on  the  advisability  of  publishing  a  Memorial  Volume 
on  the  act  of  Covenanting,  reported  : 

"  We  recommend  that  Synod  appoint  a  committee  of  three,  with  power 
to  prepare,  and  have  published,  at  as  early  a  day  as  possible,  a  history  of  the 
taking  of  thi  coven  ui:,  with  such  a  synopsis  of  the  proceedings  ss  they  may 
deem  expedient." 

J.  R.  W.  Sloane, 
J.  W.  Sproull, 
S.  A.  Sterrett, 

Committee. 


Entered   according    to  Act   of  Congress,    in   the   year  1872, 

BV   THE   COMMITTEE 

In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress  at  Washington. 


Table   of   Contents. 


PAGE 


Narrative,         __-,__  _       ^ 

God's  Punitive  Dealings  with  Man,       -      -     15 

By  Rev.  J.  Renwick  Thompson. 

Covenanting    a    Duty    in    New    Testament 

Times,     Wr-j  Xk^^>^      _         _         .        _     27   *^ 

By  Rev.  H.  H.  George. 

Confession  of  Sin  Necessary   to  the    Enjoy- 
ment OF    God's  Presence,         -         -         -     40 

By    Rev.  James  Kennedy. 

Covenanting  and  its  Benefits  to  the    Cov- 
enanters, -         -         -         -        -         "58^  JTq 

By  Rev,  A.  Stevenson,  D.  D. 

The  Spirit  in  which  we  should  engage  in  the 

act  of  Covenanting,         -         -         -         _     7^   ^^ 

By  Re..  J    R.  W.  Sloane,  D.  D. 

/    Fidelity   to  Vows,  -         -         -         -         -     81 

By  Rev.  W.  Milroy. 

The  Messiah  Expecting  his  Foes'  Subjection,     94. 

By  Rev.  S.  Carlisle. 

The  Lamb  that  was  Slain,  _  -  -  101 

By  Rev.  S.  O.  Wylie,  D.  D. 


iv  Contents. 

PAGE 

Debarring  AND  Inviting  Service,       -       -       -   128 

By  Rev,  S.  Bowden 

Explanation  of  the  Words  of  Institution,    -   139 

By  Rev.  T.  Sproull,  D.  D. 

Table  Addresses — 

I.     The  Church  a  Quiet  Habitation,       -  142 

By  Rev.  D.  S.  Paris.  ~ 

II.     Jehovah-jireh,  -  -  -  -    14-^ 

By  Rev.  J.  W.  Sproull. 

III.  Christ,  his  Excellence  and  Love,       -    146 

By  Rev.   J.  Hunter. 

IV.  Christ  ever  Present  with  his  People,    152 

By  Rev.  R.  J.  Sharpe. 

Our  Work  a  work  of  Reformation,        -        -  158 

By  Rev.  John  French. 

The  Nature  and  Ground  of  Political  Dissent,   1 60 

By  Rev.  D.  McAllister. 

The  Position  and  Duty  of  Covenanters,         -  189 

By  Rev.  A.  M.  Milligan. 

Our  Past  and  our  Future,  -  _  _  205 

By  Rev.  John  Galbraith. 


COVENANT  RENOVATION. 


NARRATIVE. 


Thk  transaction  which  this  volume  is  designed  to 
commemorate  marks  an  important  era  in  the  history  of 
the  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church  in  North  America. 

The  Hmits  to  which  we  are  necessarily  confined, 
preclude  any  discussion  of  the  Scriptural  ordinance  of 
covenanting,  or  any  detailed  historv  of  those  memorable 
epochs  in  which  the  church  of  God  has  exemplified  this 
part  of  her  testimony. 

For  information  upon  these  points,  we  must  refer  the 
reader  to  the  discourses  in  the  body  of  this  volume,  and 
to  such  other  sources  as  are  easily  accessible. 

The  object  which  we  have  in  view  is  simply  to  pre- 
sent a  brief  narrative  of  the  Act  of  Covenanting  by  the 
Reformed  Presbyterian  Church  in  North  America,  in 
the  city  of  Pittsburgh,  May  27,  1871. 

It  has  been  the  custom  of  the  church  to  commemo- 
rate remarkable  events  in  her  history,  both  by  material 
structures  and  literary  records.  We  have  early  instances 
of  the  former  in  Jacob's  pillars,  those  set  up  by  Moses  at 
Mount  Sinai,  the  twenty-four  stones  erected  by  Joshua  at 
the  passage  of  the  Jordan,  and  the   one  which  he  set  u}) 

I 


6  IViEMORiAL   Volume. 

under  the  oak  by  the  sanctuary  of  the  Lord  in  Shechem  -, 
of  the  latter,  in  Miriam's  song  at  the  Red  Sea,  that  of 
Deborah  and  Barak  at  the  overthrow  of  Sisera,  and  in 
many  of  the  Psalms  of  David. 

Following  such  approved  examples,  Synod  resolved  to 
erect  a  commemorative  pillar — a  "  Memorial  Theological 
Seminary," — as  an  expression  of  devout  thankfulness  to 
our  covenant  God  for  the  tokens  of  the  divine  favor 
enjoyed  in  all  the  circumstances  of  this  solemn  trans- 
action, and  also  to  issue  this  "  Memorial  Volume"  as  a 
means  of  perpetuating  its  remembrance,  and  transmitting 
to  posterity  an  accurate  account  of  the  impressive  ser- 
vices connected  with  it.  "  Walk  about  Zion  and  go 
round  about  her  ;  tell  the  towers  thereof.  Mark  ye  well 
her  bulwarks,  consider  her  palaces,  that  ye  may  tell  it  to 
the  generation  following.  For  this  God  is  our  God  for 
ever  and  ever.  He  will  be  our  guide  even  unto  death." 
"  Instead  of  thy  fathers  shall  be  thy  children,  whom  thou 
mayest  make  princes  in  all  the  earth.  I  will  make  thy 
name  to  be  remembered  in  all  generations,  therefore  shall 
the  people  praise  thee  for  ever  and  ever." 

In  the  September  number  of  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
and  Covenanter  for  187 1,  will  be  found  a  detailed  ac- 
count of  the  various  attempts  made  by  the  church  in  this 
country  to  renew  her  federal  engagements.  Although 
many  of  these  efforts  resulted  only  in  disappointment 
and  apparent  failure,  it  is  manifest  that  the  Head  of  the 
church  was  all  the  time  preparing  his  people  for  a  real- 
ization of  their  hopes,  while  leading  them  by  a  way 
which  they  knew  not. 

At  the  meeting  of  Synod   held  at  Northwood,  Ohio, 


Narrative.  7 

May,  1868,  petitions  from  the  ist  congregation  of  New 
York,  1st  Philadelphia,  and  Pittsburgh,  were  presented, 
urging  immediate  attention  to  the  subject  of  covenanting. 
These  petitions  were  favorably  received,  and  a  special 
committee  appointed  to  report  on  the  subject  at  that 
meeting  of  Synod.  The  following  is  the  report  of  the 
committee  : 

"Whereas,  Public  social  covenanting  is  a  duty  and 
privilege  of  the  church  under  the  New  Testament  dis- 
pensation ;  and  whereas,  it  is  a  distinctive  principle  of  the 
Reformed  Presbyterian  Church  that  such  engagements 
should  be  entered  into  at  suitable  seasons  ;  and  whereas, 
the  ordinance  of  covenanting  has  never  been  practically 
exemplified  by  the  church  in  America  ;  and  whereas,  it 
is  our  devout  conviction  that  the  proper  observance  of 
this  ordinance  would  be  blessed  by  God  to  the  revival  of 
the  church  through  the  outpouring  of  his  Holy  Spirit  ; 
and  whereas,  we  are  profoundly  convinced  that  there  is 
in  the  present  aspects  of  divine  providence  toward  our 
church  an  urgent  call  to  enter  immediately  upon  the 
work  of  covenant  renovation  ;  therefore, 

"  Resolved^  That  Synod  appoint  a  special  committee 
to  prepare  the  draft  of  a  covenant,  and  make  all  necessary 
arrangements  for  entering  up:)n  the  work  of  covenanting 
without  unnecessary  delay." 

The  adoption  of  this  report  was  immediately  fjllowed 
by  the  appointment  of  a  committee,  consisting  of  S.  O. 
Wyhe,  D.  D.,  J.  R.  W.  Sloane,  D.  D.,  T.  Sproull,  D. 
D.,  A.  Stevenson,  D.  D.,  and  William  Crawford — J. 
Wiggins  and  Andrew  Knox  were  subsequently  added — 
to  carry  out  the  recommendations  of  the  report. 


8  Memorial    Volume. 

At  the. next  meeting  of  Synod  held  in  Newburgh,  N. 
Y.,  May,  1869,  the  committee,  owing  to  the  indispo- 
sition of  the  chairman,  was  not  able  to  report  progress. 
The  committee  was  continued,  and  directed  "  to  prepare 
a  bond  and  report  to  the  next  meeting  of  Synod,  on  the 
morning  of  the  second  day  of  its  sessions,  and  the  con- 
sideration of  the  subject  of  covenanting  was  made  the 
order  of  the  day  for  the  forenoon  session  of  the  third 
day."  Pastors  of  congregations  were  also  directed  to 
preach  on  the  subject  of  covenanting. 

Accordingly,  at  the  meeting  of  Synod  held  ia  New 
York,  May,  1870,  a  draft  of  confession  of  sins  and 
bond  of  covenant  was  reported  by  the  committee. 
These  were  carefully  considered,  discussed,  amended, 
and  finally  unanimously  adopted.  '^  The  form  of  cove- 
nant," as  thus  adopted  by  Synod,  "was  sent  down  in 
overture  to  presbyteries  and  sessions,  with  instructions  to 
vote  yea  or  nay.  Presbyteries  were  also  directed  to  trans- 
mit to  Synod  the  votes  of  sessions." 

As  many  of  the  members  of  Synod  as  were  members 
of  the  committee  on  covenanting  were  appointed  a  com- 
mittee to  report  the  order  of  exercises  for  the  renewal  of 
the  covenant.  This  committee  reported  the  following 
order,  subsequently  with  slight  variations,  observed  : 

1.  That  Synod,  if  the  way  be  clear,  engage  in  taking 
the  covenant  on  Saturday  after  the  day  on  which  it 
meetSsjn  May,  of  1871. 

2.  That  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord^s  supper  be  dis- 
pensed on  the  following  Sabbath,  and  the  Friday  preced- 
ing be  observed  as  a  day  of  fasting. 

3.  That  a  committee  be  appointed  to  arrange  the  order 


Narrative.  9 

of  proceeding  in  covenanting,  and  to  assign  to  suitable 
pel  sons  the  parts  of  this  work  and  of  the  communion, 
and  pubhsh  the  arrangement  in  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
and  Covenanter^  in  connection  with  the  minutts  of  Synod. 

4.  That  all  office  bearers  in  the  church  present  at  the 
meeting,  be  allowed,  if  they  v/ish,  to  join  with  Synod  in 
taking  the  covenant. 

5.  That  sessions  and  presbyteries  take  early  action  on 
the  bond,  and  that  clerks  of  presbyteries  remit  to  the 
clerk  of  Synod  the  results  of  their  action,  that  he  may 
have  them  in  readiness  for  immediate  action  in  Synod. 

The  existing  committee  on  covenanting  was  appointed 
under  the  third  paragraph  of  the  above  report. 

The  arrangements  were  completed  and  published  in 
the  Reformed  Presbyterian  and  Covenanter  for  January, 
1871. 

When  Synod  met  in  May,  it  was  found  that  the 
reports  from  presbyteries  were  all  favorable,  and  that 
the  desire  to  go  forward  immediately  was  very  general  ; 
with  many  it  had  been  the  cherished  hope  and  subject 
of  earnest  prayer  for  many  years  ;  not  a  ^^^n  were  present 
at  considerable  sacrifice,  for  the  express  purpose  of  wit- 
nessing this  solemn  act,  and  now  that  all  things  appeared 
ready,  they  were  impatient  of  any  delay  which  might 
again  put  it  in  hazard.  After  an  earnest  discussion, 
conducted  in  the  best  spirit,  it  was  decided  by  an  almost 
unanimous  vote,  to  carry  out  the  expressed  purpose  of 
Synod,  without  further  delay. 

A  committee  had  been  appointed  "  to  receive  and  con- 
sider any  papers  in  relation  to  the  form  of  covenant,  and 
to  hear  and    remove,  if  possible,   any   objections  which 

I* 


10  Memorial  Volume. 

may  be  made  to  the  bond."  This  committee  found  its 
task  comparatively  easy  ;  but  few  objections  were  pre- 
sented, and  these,  in  most  instances,  easily  removed.  In 
order  to  satisfy  scruples,  the  committee  recommended  an 
amendment  to  the  confession  of  sins,  more  distinctly 
recognizing  the  covenants  of  the  "  Second  Reformation." 
This  recommendation  was  cordially  accepted,  and  the 
following  resolution  adopted  : 

"  Re^olved^  That  in  order  to  satisfy  the  scruples  of 
some  members  of  Synod,  we  understand  that  the  expres- 
sion 'Covenants  of  the  Second  Reformation'  includes 
the  National  Covenant  of  Scotland  and  the  Solemn 
League  and  Covenant  of  the  three  Kingdoms," 

These  additions  and  explanations  served  to  satisfy  the 
minds  of  all  those  who  had  been  in  doubt,  with  the 
exception  of  two  ministers  and  one  ruling  elder  ;  and 
thus  the  way  was  open  to  the  immediate  observance  of 
the  ordinance.  The  mountains  flowed  down  and  be- 
came a  plain  before  our  New  Testament  Zerubbabel. 
The  Lord  our  God  made  our  darkness  to  be  light  ;  fears 
were  disappointed  ;  cherished  hopes  were  to  be  realized. 
The  morning  of  joy  had  dawned.  There  was  cheering 
evidence  that  our  covenant  God  was  about  to  "  visit 
Zion,  and  his  glory  to  arise  upon  her."  From  the  time 
that  the  final  determination  was  made,  a  feeling  of  deep 
solemnity  appeared  to  pervade  the  minds  of  the  members 
of  the  court.  Humility,  joy,  hope,  serenity  and  pleasing 
anticipation,  were  the  mingled  emotions  with  which  they 
looked  forward  to  this  act  of  self-consecration.  Prayer 
also  was  made  continually. 

Friday  was  the  day  set  apart  for  humiliation  and  prayer. 


Narrative.  li 

The  services  of  the  forenoon  were,  reading  confession 
of  sins,  by  Rev.  James  Wallace,  of  St.  Louis,  Missouri, 
and  sermon  by  Rev.  J.  R.  Thompson,  of  Newburgh, 
N.  Y.  The  sermon  was  preached  in  the  afternoon  by 
Rev.  H.  H.  George,  of  Cincinnati.  It  is  unnecessary 
to  characterize  these  or  the  other  discourses  which  were 
preached  in  connection  with  the  services  of  this  memor- 
able occasion,  as  they  are  given  in  the  body  of  this 
volume,  and  will  be  read,  we  are  confident,  with  pleasure 
and  profit,  by  many  who  did  not  enjoy  the  privilege  of 
hearing  them  delivered. 

In  the  evening  a  large  number  of  the  members  of 
Synod  assembled  for  devotional  exercises,  which  were 
conducted  wholly  by  ruling  elders,  Mr.  David  Wallace, 
of  Muskingum,  Ohio,  presiding.  This  meeting  was  char- 
acterized by  a  deeply  devotional  spirit.  After  these  devo- 
tional exercises,  a  sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  James 
Kennedy,  of  New  York  city. 

Saturday  was  the  day  appointed  for  covenanting.  Rev. 
Andrev/  Stevenson,  D.  D.,  of  New  York  city,  preached 
a  discourse  appropriate  to  the  occasion.  At  the  close  of 
the  service  Synod  took  a  recess  of  half  an  hour  ;  at  the 
expiration  of  this  time.  Synod  was  called  to  order.  The 
large  house  of  worship  in  which  Synod  met  was  filled  to 
its  utmost  capacity  with  an  attentive  and  deeply  interested 
audience,  the  members  of  Synod  occupying  the  pews 
immediately  in  front  and  on  each  side  of  the  pulpit. 
The  exercises  of  the  afternoon  were  introduced  by  sing- 
ing a  portion  of  a  psalm,  followed  by  the  reading,  in  an 
impressive  manner,  of  the  covenant,  by  Rev.  J.  M.  Beat- 
tie,  of  Rvegate,  Vermont.      Then  followed  the  address 


12  Memorial  Volume. 

"  Upon  the  spirit  in  which  we  should  engage  in  the  act 
of  covenanting,"  by  Rev.  J.  R.  W.  Sloane,  D.  D.,  of 
Allegheny  city.  Rev.  Thomas  Sproull,  D.  D.,  of  Al- 
legheny city,  who  had  been  appointed  to  preside,  then 
solemnly  addressed  the  Throne  of  Grace.  A  few  mo- 
ments were  given  for  silent  prayer.  He  then  proceeded 
to  read  the  oath,  all  the  members  standing  and  holdino; 
up  their  right  hands,  and  at  the  close  responding  audibly, 
"Amen."  Dr.  Sproull  then  read  the  covenant,  section 
by  section;  at  the  close  of  each  section  the  members 
again  responded  "Amen,"  and  at  the  conclusion  of  the 
whole  repeated  in  concert,  "All  that  the  Lord  hath  said 
will  we  do  and  be  obedient."  The  covenant  was  then 
subscribed  by  seventy-four  ministers  and  seventy  ruling 
elders,  members  of  Synod,  and  by  five  licentiates,  four 
students  of  theology,  and  nineteen  elders  who  were  not 
members  of  the  court. 

The  closing  address  was  then  delivered  by  Rev.  Wm. 
Milroy,  of  Northwood,  Ohio,  on  "  Covenant  Keeping," 
and  the  service  was  closed  by  singing  Psalm  72  :  17-19. 

The  scene  thus  briefly  sketched  was  one  never  to  be 
forgotten.  A  solemn  awe  pervaded  the  entire  assembly. 
At  some  points  in  the  service,  the  deepest  feeling  was 
manifested.  None  shouted  for  joy  as  in  the  old  Grey- 
friar's- churchyard,  but  many  wept.  The  feeling  that 
predominated  was  a  calm  and  holy  joy.  All  felt  that 
the  covenant  promise  had  been  fulfilled,  "  In  all  places 
where  I  record  my  name,  I  will  come  unto  thee  and  I 
will  bless  thee." 

As  the  sacrament  of  the  supper  was  to  be  observed  on 
the  following  day,  the  terms  of  communion   were  read, 


Narrative.  13 

and  tokens  of  admission  to  the  Lord's  table  dispensed, 
Rev.  John  Crozier,  of  Elizabeth,  Pa.,  conducting  this 
service,  the  closing  one  of  "a  great  and  good  day,"  as  it 
was  characterized  by  many  members  of  Synod. 

We  cannot  refrain  from  quoting,  as  strikingly  appro- 
priate, the  beautiful  words  of  another,  descriptive  of  a 
similar  scene  in  a  distant  land.  "  The  public  religious 
services  of  this  memorable  day  were  concluded  about 
seven  (five)  o'clock  in  the  evening.  Amidst  the  solemn 
calm  of  the  closing  day,  the  large  assembly  that  had 
waited  upon  them  for  so  many  hours,  with  fixed  atten- 
tion, retired  from  the  scene,  under  impressions  of  the 
peculiar  favor  of  the  God  of  their  fathers  vouchsafed 
upon  the  occasion."* 

On  communion  Sabbath  the  psalm  was  explained  by 
Rev.  Samuel  Carlisle,  of  Newburgh,  N.  Y.  The  action 
sermon  was  preached  by  Rev.  S,  O.  Wylie,  D.  D.,  of 
Philadelphia,  Pa.  The  service  of  debarring  was  con- 
ducted by  Rev.  Samuel  Bowden,  of  York,  N.  Y.  The 
words  of  institution  were  explained  by  Rev.  Thomas 
SprouU,  D.  D.  The  first  table  was  served  by  Rev.  D. 
S.  Paris,  of  Sparta,  111.;  second  by  Rev.  J.  W.  Sproull, 
of  Allegheny  ;  third  by  Rev.  J.  Hunter,  of  Wilkins- 
burg.  Pa.;  fourth  by  Rev.  R.  J.  Sharpe,  of  Philadelphia. 
Rev.  John  French,  of  California,  Mich.,  addressed  the 
communicants.  Rev.  D.  McAllister,  of  Walton,  N. 
Y.,  preached  the  sermon  on  Sabbath  evening,  and  Rev. 
A.  M.  Milligan,  of  Pittsburgh,  on  Monday  evening. 
Rev.  John   Galbraith  gave  the  parting  address   and   read 

■^  "Memoiial    of  Covenanting,"  by    Thomas  Houston,  D.    D  ,  Knock- 
bracken,  Ireland. 


14  Memorial  Volume. 

the  usual  passages,  thus  closing  the  communion  service 
held  in  connection  with  covenanting.  The  communion 
season  added  much  to  the  interest  of  the  occasion,  and 
was  felt  to  be  a  time  of  reviving  and  refreshing  from  the 
presence  of  the   Lord.  «    « 

Arrangements  were  immediately  made  by  Synod  to 
further  the  work  of  covenanting  by  the  various  congre- 
gations. Directions  were  given  as  to  the  manner  of 
procedure.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  prepare  a 
"  Pastoral  Address,"  and  another  to  issue  as  soon  as 
practicable  the  present  "  Memorial  Volume." 

We  are,  perhaps,  too  near  these  solemn  transactions  to 
estimate  properly  the  results.  Already,  however,  there 
are  cheering  evidences  that  the  anticipations  of  the  church 
are  to  be  realized  ;  that  the  Spirit  will  be  poured  out  from 
on  high,  the  wilderness  become  a  fruitful  field,  and  the 
desert  be  made  to  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose. 

"  Who  is  this  that  looketh  forth  as  the  morning,  fair 
as  the  moon,  clear  as  the  sun,  and  terrible  as  an  army 
with  banners  ?" 


15 


GOD'S  PUNITIVE    DEALINGS  WITH    MAN. 

BY  REV.  J.   RENWICK  THOMPSON. 

Genesis  3  :  24.      "  So  he  drove  out  the  man." 

The  idea  of  man's  responsibility  to  God  underlies  our 
text.  It  is  a  truth  that  is  clearly  revealed  in  human 
consciousness  ;  that  meets  us  on  the  very  threshold  of 
human  history  ;  and  that  is  written  with  the  pen  of  in- 
spiration upon  the  sacred  page.  Both  the  natural  and 
supernatural  unite  in  linking  man  by  an  indissoluble  chain 
to  the  throne  of  the  Eternal.  No  more  certainly  do  the 
minute  atoms  of  matter  that  fringe  the  outer  verge  of 
creation  respond  to  the  force  of  natural  law,  than  man 
responds  to  the  constraining  power  of  a  moral  responsibil- 
ity that  binds  him  to  the  moral  Governor  and  Judge  of  all. 

An  ignoring  of  this  responsibility,  a  breaking  a  link  in 
this  chain,  necessarily,  and  at  once,  exposes  the  transgres- 
sor to  the  certain,  impartial,  and  avenging  judgment  of 
God.  Hence,  the  very  moment  that  man  in  the  morning 
of  his  existence  attempted  to  throw  off  this  responsibility, 
swift  judgment  followed,  and  he  stood  a  condemned  crim- 
inal at  the  bar  of  God.  It  was  a  judgment,  not  merely 
upon  the  first  man,  but  upon  the  whole  human  family.  It 
was  not  Adam  alone  that  God  drove  out  of  the  garden, 
but  the  human  race  federally  in  Adam.  This  judgment 
was  the  first  penal  infliction  upon  the  race,  and  was  a  wit- 
ness and  prophecy  of  the  many  judgments  that  leave  their 
dark  impress  on  the  page  of  human  history.  A  judg- 
ment meets  man  almost  at  the  beginning  of  his  history  ; 
a  judgment  will  meet  him  at  the  end  ;  and  judgments  lie 


t6  Memorial  Volume. 

along  the  whole  line  of  his  earthly  progress.  Truly  he 
may  look  up  to  the  Ruler  of  the  Universe  and  exclaim, 
"  Justice  and  judgment  are  the  habitation  of  thy  throne." 

This  first  judicial  infliction,  however,  was  not  without 
a  gleam  of  mercv.  As  soon  as  the  rr^T-ht  of  sin  settled 
down  upon  the  earth,  the  star  of  mercy  arose  above  the 
dark  horizon.  Justice  and  mercy  met  together  on  the 
cross,  but  they  had  their  first  earthly  meeting  in  the  gar- 
den of  Eden.  Justice  declared  "  Thou  shalt  surely  die," 
but  mercy  at  the  same  time  announced  "  That  the  seed  of 
the  woman  should  bruise  the  serpent's  head." 

These  thoughts  grow  out  of  and  cluster  around  our 
text.  They  suggest  for  discussion  a  very  important  fea- 
ture in  the  divine  administration,  and  clearly  show  that 
God  deals  with  man  for  his  conduct — deals  with  him  se- 
verely, justly,  and  yet  mercifully.  "  So  he  drove  out  the 
man." 

Doctrine  :     God  punishes  man  for  his  sin. 

I.  Severely.  It  is  no  light  infliction,  no  sham  pun- 
ishment that  mocks  justice  and  deludes  the  guilty  ;  but  it 
is  real  and  severe. 

I.  God  punishes  man  severely  by  opening  his  eyes  to  a 
perception  of  his  sinful  and  sad  condition.  "  And  the  eyes 
of  them  both  were  opened."  Gen.  3  :  7.  Their  eyes 
were  opened,  as  the  serpent  predicted,  but  not  in  the 
way  they  had  expected.  They  were  opened  to  see  their 
spiritual  nakedness,  their  moral  depravity,  their  misery 
and  utter  helplessness.  A  spiritual  insight  was  given  to 
them,  by  which  they  had  a  perception  o\  the  moral  turpi- 
tude of  their  act,  its  unprovoked  ingratitude,  its  stain  upon 
God's  moral  government,  its  effects  upon  themselves  and 


God's   Punitive  Dealings.  17 

upon  their  posterity  to  the  latest  generation,  and  upon  a 
portion  of  the  human  family  throughout  eternity.  It  was 
this  view  of  sin  that  forced  from  the  Psalmist  the  bitter 
cry,  "My  sin  is  ever  before  me;"  that  constrained  the 
evangelical  prophet  to  exclaim,  "Woe  is  me  !  for  I  am  un- 
done ;"  that  wrung  from  Peter  those  penitent  tears  as  he 
"went  out  and  wept  bitterly;"  that  stung  the  conscience 
of  a  Judas  until  he  rushed  forth  and  hung  himself.  One 
of  the  severest  penalties  that  God  inflicts  on  sinners  is 
opening  their  eyes  to  a  perception  of  the  criminality  of 
their  sins,  and  thereby  awakening  into  activity  the  power 
of  conscience,  that  ever-present  avenger  that  fills  the  soul 
with  dreadful  forebodings  and  kindles  within  it  a  fire 
which  is  never  quenched.  A  view  of  sin  in  its  nature 
and  consequences,  is  a  severe  infliction  in  this  life,  and 
will  form  no  small  portion  of  the  penalty  of  the  lost  for 
ever  and  ever. 

2.  By  judicially  abandoning  man  to  the  dominion  of  sin. 
Scripture  and  human  experience  alike  confirm  the  fact 
that  sin  is  a  punishment  for  sin  ;  that  the  burden  of  guilt 
and  depravity  which  every  one  bears  about  with  him  is 
not  only  the  consequence  but  the  certain  punishment  of 
sin.  Sin  follows  close  on  the  heels  of  sin  as  an  avenger. 
The  moment  Adam  sinned,  guilt  and  depravity  seized  him 
in  their  iron  grasp  and  became  the  penal  infliction  for  his 
rebellion  against  God.  Paul,  in  Romans  i  :  24,  clearly 
shows  that  because  the  heathen  forsook  God  they  were 
judicially  given  up  to  uncleanness  as  a  punitive  infliction 
for  their  sin.  In  like  manner  God  punished  Pharaoh, 
not  merely  by  withholding  grace  and  leaving  him  to  the 
hardening  influence  of  his  native  depravitv,  but  by  mak- 

2 


1 8  Memorial  Volume. 

Ing  the  "  hardening"  of  his  heart  a  penal  infliction  so 
that  his  sin  became  the  punishment  for  his  sin.  A 
ruined  constitution  is  not  only  the  consequence  of  the 
violation  of  natural  laws,  but  the  punishment  for  such  a 
violation.  Spiritual  insensibility  not  only  flows  from  sin, 
but  is  the  punishment  of  sin.  When  Paul  uttered  the 
bitter  complaint,  "Oh  !  wretched  man  that  I  am,"  it 
was  not  only  because  he  loathed  his  depravity,  but  felt  it 
as  a  severe  punishment — that  "the  body  of  death"  was 
God's  punitive  hand  upon  him,  crushing  him  down  al- 
most into  the  depths  of  despair.  God  drove  man  out  of 
his  presence,  left  him  a  captive  in  the  power  of  sin,  and 
by  this  judicial  abandonment  inflicted  upon  him  a  severe 
punishment. 

3.  By  suspending  communion  with  hi?n.  Man's  delight- 
ful fellowship  with  God  in  Paradise  was  interrupted  b) 
sin,  and  he  was  sent  forth  from  the  tree  of  life,  from  the 
presence  of  God,  and  the  gate  of  the  garden  closed  against 
him  lest  he  should  return  and  partake  of  the  symbol  and 
pledge  of  those  blessings  he  had  forfeited.  As  he  reluct- 
antly went  forth,  forced  out  by  the  penalty  of  his  sin,  he 
felt  the  severity  of  his  punishment,  and  in  his  own  soul 
was  ready  to  exclaim  in  the  words  afterwards  uttered  by 
his  rebellious  son,  "  My  punishment  is  greater  than  I  can 
bear  " — shut  out  from  the  presence  of  God  and  left  alone 
in  a  sin-cursed  world.  Exclusion  from  the  presence  of 
God  in  the  sanctuary,  was  a  severe  punishment  to  the 
Jew  ;  and  suspension  from  the  privileges  of  the  church, 
is  one  of  the  severest  inflictions  upon  a  child  of  God.  But 
much  severer  is  the  trial  when  God  judicially  suspends 
communion  with  man    and  shuts  him  out  from   his    gra- 


God's  Punitive  Dealings.  19 

cious  presence.     Truly  did  the  pious  Henry  Martyn  say 
that  to  be  absent  from  God  for  a  time  was  to  be  miserable. 
4.   By  exposing  him  to  the  ills  of  this  life  and  the  life  that 
is  to  come.    Expulsion  from  the  garden  was  the  beginning 
of   multitudinous  trials.     The  world  became   to  man  a 
prison-house  ;  the  ground  was  made  to  bristle  with  briars 
and  thorns  ;  in  the  sweat  of  his  face  he  ate  his  bread  ;  dis- 
ease seized  his  physical  frame,  and  death  cut  short  his 
career.     Suffering  in  body  and  in  mind,  in  various  forms, 
bears  testimony  to  the  severity  of  the  punishment  which  a 
righteous  God  inflicts  on  man.     But  eternity  can  only  re- 
veal the  true  character  of  that  righteous  retribution  that 
the  God  of  vengeance  executes  upon  the  impenitent  vio- 
lator of  his  law.    "  Vengeance  is  mine,  I  will  repay,  saith 
the  Lord."    The  avenging  Nemesis  follows  close  on  the 
track  of  sin,  and  the  divine  providences  are  so  adjusted 
that  "punishment  is  the  recoil  of  sin,  and  the  strength  of 
the  back  stroke  is  in  proportion  to  the  original  blow."    As- 
the  crime  is  heinous,  so  the  punishment  is  severe.     We 
may  exclaim  with  the  apostle,   "  Behold"  not  only  "  the 
goodness,"  but  also  "  the  severity  of  God  ;  on  them  that 
fell  severity. ^^ 

II.  Justly. 

Divine  punishment  is  not  the  arbitrary  act  of  a  sover- 
eign ;  nor  the  blow  of  a  blind  and  remorseless  fate  ;  nor 
yet  the  uncertain  stroke  of  the  wheel  of  chance,  but  the 
just  penalty,  the  inevitable  retribution  for  sin.  Its  sanc- 
tion is  in  man's  moral  constitution,  in  the  religion  and  lit- 
erature of  all  nations,  in  the  retributive  forces  of  nature, 
in  the  mysterious  revolving  of  the  wheels  of  providence, 
and  is  echoed  from  the  awful  throne  of  the  sin-avenging 


20  Memorial  Volume. 

God.  Every  department  of  Jehovah's  empire  proclaims 
the  truth  that  "the  face  of  the  Lord  is  against  them 
that  do  evil."     God  punishes  sin  justly. 

I.  Because  of  the  dishonor  it  does  to  his  moral  government. 
Sin  being  an  act  of  rebellion  against  God's  throne,  an 
assault  upon  his  administration,  an  act  of  spiritual  trea- 
son, it  necessarily  puts  dishonor  upon  God's  government, 
and  therefore  justly  deserves  punishment.  God's  nature, 
as  well  as  the  claims  of  his  government,  demands  the  in- 
fliction of  punishment  upon  the  sinner.  The  necessity 
for  punishment  springs  from  the  divine  love  ;  and  did  not 
God  punish  the  sinner  he  would  not  be  a  God  of  love. 
His  love  to  his  true  children  calls  for  the  punishment  of 
the  disobedient.  The  very  existence  of  God's  throne,  as 
well  as  the  purity  of  his  administration,  cries  with  an  in- 
exorable voice  for  the  punishment  of  every  assault  made 
upon  his  government.  Every  stain  upon  God's  govern- 
ment must  be  wiped  out  by  the  hand  of  retributive  justice. 

2.  Because  man  has  transgressed  the  known  law  of  God. 
Law  is  a  rule  of  conduct  prescribed  by  the  Supreme  Ru- 
ler. Its  obligation  does  not  spring  from  our  consent  or 
approbation,  but  from  the  will  of  the  Lawgiver.  It  is 
not  a  compact,  for  then  it  would,  in  part,  originate  with 
man  ;  but  is  a  command  given  to  us  and  for  us.  The 
strength  of  thi-*  law  lies  in  its  penalty.  Hence,  says 
Blackstone,  "  of  all  parts  of  the  law,  the  most  effectual  is 
the  vindicatory.'^  Without  the  penalty,  the  law  would  be 
a  rope  of  sand.  The  violation  of  law,  then,  is  necessarily 
followed  by  the  infliction  of  the  penalty.  In  God's  moral 
government,  as  well  as  in  nature,  the  penalty  follows 
as  the    avenger   of  violated    law.      God,  who    is    just, 


God's  Punitive  Dealings.  21 

must  inflict  the  penalty  wherever  his  law  is  violated, 
'^  The  wag&s  of  sin  is  death,"  for  "  sin  is  the  transgression 
of  the  law," 

3.  Because  man  has  violated  a  solemn  covenant  engage- 
ment. Where  there  is  a  covenant  entered  into  there  is 
an  increased  obligation  arising  from  the  voluntary  assent 
given  to  its  stipulations.  Adam  was  bound  by  the  law  of 
God  originally,  but  his  obligation  was  increased  by  enter- 
ing into  the  covenant  of  works.  Abraham's  obligation  to 
God  was  increased  by  his  accepting  the  Abrahamic  cove- 
nant. Our  covenanted  forefathers  had  their  obligation 
strengthened  by  setting  their  seal  to  the  Solemn  League 
and  Covenant.  Accepting,  then,  this  principle,  a  viola- 
tion of  a  covenant  is  a  sin  of  no  small  magnitude,  and 
justly  deserves  a  severe  penalty.  God  drove  Adam  out 
of  Eden  because  he  was  a  covenant  breaker  ;  and  cove- 
nant sins  are  not  amorgthe  least  of  man's  transgressions. 
''They  have  transgressed  my  covenant  and  trespassed 
against  my  law." 

4.  Because  of  the  consequences  of  man's  sin.  Sin,  in  its 
effects,  is  not  confined  to  the  sinner  or  the  limits  of  time. 
Adam's  sin  did  not  terminate  in  his  own  person  or  his  own 
age  ;  its  influence  was  imparted  and  its  guilt  imputed  to 
the  whole  race,  and  its  effects  reach  into  eternity.  Adam 
and  Eve  went  not  alone  out  of  Eden,  but  were  followed 
by  a  procession  of  the  whole  human  race  and  a  train  of 
woes  and  sorrows  that  extend  into  the  future  world.  No 
tongue  can  tell  the  consequences  of  his  sin.  Collect  all 
the  fruits  of  it  in  this  and  the  future  world,  and  pile  them 
up  in  one  mass,  and  the  earth  would  not  form  a  base  wide 
enough  or  heaven  be  high  enough  to  contain  so  dark  a 

2* 


22  Memorial  Volume. 

monument.  Sin  :s  the  fruitful  parent  of  every  crime  and 
woe.  It  fills  our  jails  with  criminals,  our  asylums  with 
the  insane,  the  dark  haunts  in  our  cities  with  festering 
disease,  squalor  and  death.  It  fires  the  passions  of  licen- 
tiousness, inflames  the  appetite  of  the  inebriate,  sends 
sinners  blindly  down  the  yawning  gulf  into  perdition  and 
peoples  hell  with  its  victims.  It  is  sin,  that  has  lit  the 
torch  of  persecution,  that  has  rent  the  seamless  robe  of 
Christ,  and  that  has  nailed  the  Son  of  God  to  the  cross. 
Oh  !  sin  has  done  all  this,  and  more.  Shall  we  not  ar- 
raign this  culprit  before  the  bar  of  God  ?  Shall  not  you 
render  the  verdict  guilty;  and  shall  not  the  Judge  pro- 
nounce the  righteous  sentence  ?  Surely,  man's  sin  that  is 
so  far-reaching  and  disastrous  in  its  results,  justly  deserves 
the  severest  punishment  of  Heaven.  Punishment  is  truly 
the  logical  exponent  of  sin  ;  its  just  desert.  God  must 
inflict  the  penalty.  "Just  and  true  are  thy  ways,  thou 
King  of  saints." 

III.   Mercifully 

The  punishment  on  man  is  not  only  severe  and  just, 
but  also  tempered  with  mercy.  "  Mercy  and  truth  are 
met  together  ;  righteousness  and  peace  have  kissed  each 
other:'  Ps.  85:  10.  The  very  moment  the  sword  of 
justice  was  unsheathed  against  man  the  rainbow  of  merey 
spanned  the  throne,  and  a  voice  came  forth,  "  The  seed 
of  the  woman  shall  bruise  the  serpent's  head."  "  I  have 
have  found  a  ransom."     God  punishes  mercifully. 

I.  By  not  inflicting  upon  man  the  full  penalty  of  the  law. 
The  penalty  was  death — death  spiritual,  physical  and  eter- 
nal. The  first  was  inflicted  the  instant  man  sinned.  The 
kni^'e  fell  the  very  moment  sin  sprung  the  trap  ;   but  mercy 


God's  Punitive  Dealings.  23 

staved  Its  progress,  and  it  did  not  reach  the  extreme  limit 
of  the  penalty.  Death  physical  was  delayed  ;  and  death 
eternal  was  robbed  by  mercy  of  many  of  its  victims.  God 
did  punish  man,  but  not  to  the  full  extent  of  the  law. 
He  drove  man  out  of  the  garden,  but  not  out  of  the 
world.  He  closed  the  gates  of  Paradise  against  him,  but 
did  not  bolt  them,  so  that  they  could  never  be  opened. 
He  clouded  man's  prospects,  but  did  not  entirely  quench 
the  spark  of  hope.  Mercy  accompanied  justice  as  the  lat- 
ter drove  man  out  into  the  cheerless  world,  so  that  outside 
of  the  gates  of  Eden  man  could  sing  of  mercy  as  well  as  of 
judgment.  And  through  the  ages  that  are  past,  mercy 
has  locked  the  wheels  of  judgment  and  delayed  the  hour 
of  execution,  by  causing  the  hand  of  justice  to  move 
slowly  on  the  dial.  If  justice  would  immediately  exact 
from  the  sinner  its  full  demands,  who  could  live  for  a  mo- 
ment in  its  presence  ?  ''  If  thou.  Lord,  shouldest  mark 
iniquities,  O  Lord,  who  shall  stand  ?" 

2.  By  accompanying  the  penalty  with  the  promise  and 
pledge  of  salvation.  In  connection  with  the  penalty  was 
the  germ  of  a  future  restoration,  the  symbol  that  excited 
the  hope  of  a  return  to  Paradise.  At  the  east  gate  of  the 
garden  was  not  only  the  flaming  sword  of  justice  to  vin- 
dicate the  rightsof  God's  government,  but  also  the  cher- 
ubim of  mercy  and  hope  pointing  back  to  the  tree  of  life, 
and  symbolically  announcing  that  a  way  of  return  would 
be  opened  up.  There  stood  two  symbolical  sentinels, 
the  one  guarding  the  rights  of  sovereignty,  and  the  other 
offering  mercy  to  the  returning  prodigal.  From  that  day 
to  this,  mercy  has  gone  hand  in  hand  with  judgment  ; 
the  promise  has  kept  pace  with  the  threatening  ;  the  mes- 


24  Memorial  Volume. 

sengers  of  pardon  have  followed  close  in  the  track  of  the 
ministers  of  justice.  On  the  very  cross  where  justice 
slew  one  on  the  left  hand,  mercy  snatched  a  trophy  on  the 
right  and  bore  it  in  triumph  to  glory.  As  flowers  bloom 
on  the  margin  of  the  eternal  snows,  so  mercy  appears  on 
the  very  verge  of  justice.  While  the  sword  of  ven- 
geance goes  forth  slaying  its  thousands,  the  angel  of 
mercy  follows  in  the  desolated  track,  gathering  up  the 
wounded,  pouring  in  the  oil  of  joy  and  offering  eternal 
life  to  the  dying.  Mercy  gives  the  promise  and  pledge 
of  salvation  even  under  the  shadow  of  the  penalty,  and 
achieves  the  brightest  victories  where  the  thunders  of 
justice  are  the  loudest. 

3.  By  giving  him  full  time  for  repentance.  A  delay  in 
execution  is  mercy  to  the  sinner.  Mercy  lengthened  out 
Adam's  days  to  nine  hundred  and  thirty  years,  and  thus 
gave  him  full  time  to  repent.  It  held  back  the  flood  from 
the  antediluvian  world  and  gave  it  a  respite  for  repentance. 
Long  did  mercy  cry  to  our  guilty  nation,  *' Let  the  op- 
pressed go  free."  Long  did  it  check  the  bursting  storm 
and  delay  the  doom,  that  an  ungrateful  nation  might  be 
spared.  And  long  has  mercy  been  pleading  with  our 
nation  to  honor  Christ,  to 

"Bring  fcrth  the  royal  diaderr, 
And  crown  him  Lord  of  all." 

Oh  !  impenitent  sinner  !  mercy  is  likewise  giving  you 
time  for  repentance.  Nestled  among  the  Alps  was  once  a 
hamlet  near  that  mountain  glacier  that  moves  but  a  foot 
and  a  half  in  a  year.  The  progress  was  so  slow  that  the 
inhabitants  felt  no  alarm.  Scientific  men  warned  them  of 
their  danger,  but  years  of  peace  had  lulled  them  into  se- 


God's  Punitive  Dealings.  25 

curlty.  The  day  of  mercy,  however,  ended,  the  glacier 
brok^  loose,  and  in  a  moment  that  village  was  buried  in  icy 
ruins.  Oh  !  sinners  !  towards  you,  God's  judgments  are 
moving  forward  ;  and  while  mercy  retards  their  progress, 
escape  for  your  life,  look  not  behind,  flee  to  the  mountain 
of  safety. 

4,  By  bestowing  many  blessings  upon  man  even  while  he 
rests  under  the  penalty.  Adam  was  driven  from  the  garden, 
but  the  severity  of  the  penalty  was  mitigated  by  special 
blessings.  The  earth  was  cursed,  for  his  sake,  with  briars 
and  thorns,  and  yet  made  to  yield  the  finest  of  the  wheat. 
The  sentence,  "  In  the  sweat  of  thy  face  thou  shalt  eat 
bread,"  was  enforced,  yet  his  labor  was  turned  into  a 
means  of  health  and  an  antidote  to  sin.  His  expulsion 
from  Eden  was  an  act  of  mercy,  for,  had  he  remained,  he 
might  have  eaten  of  the  tree  of  life,  and  thus  profaned  a 
divine  ordinance,  excited  vain  hopes,  and  perhaps  sealed 
his  eternal  condemnation  by  making  his  spiritual  death 
incurable.  Thus,  his  eating  of  the  tree  of  life  would 
have  been  more  disastrous  than  his  first  sin  in  eating  of  the 
tree  of  knowledge  of  good  and  evil.  Mercy,  too,  insti- 
tuted at  the  gate  of  the  garden  remedial  ordinances,  and 
erected  an  altar  which,  for  sixteen  hundred  years,  was  the 
place  where  the  devout  went  up  to  offer  sacrifices  and 
worship  God;  and  the  same  mercy  has  continued,  until 
the  present  time,  gracious  institutions  for  the  true  Israel. 
While  on  the  one  side  of  Israel  was  the  frowning  brow 
of  Ebal,  on  the  other  was  the  smiling  face  of  Gerizim. 
There  was  a  thorn  in  the  flesh  given  to  Paul,  and  yet 
grace  to  counteract  its  influence.  Upon  the  cross  where 
were  the  agonies  of  death  were  a!so  the  joys  of  a  new 
birth.     The  history  of  the  world  is  luminous  with  bless- 


26  Memorial  Volume. 

ings  that  shine  the  brighter  because  of  the  background  of 
divine  judgments.  TVuly,  while  God  severely  and  justly 
chastises  his  own  people,  he  is  mercifully  crowning  them 
with  his  loving  kindnesses.  "So  he  drove  out  the  man" 
from  one  Paradise,  only  to  reveal  to  him  another,  brighter 
and  more  glorious. 

In  conclusion,  the  survey  of  this  whole  subject  pre- 
sents to  us  the  moral  completeness  of  the  divine  character ; 
that  the  idea  of  God  includes  justice  as  well  as  mercy, 
the  sterner  and  gentler  attributes  meeting  and  mingling 
like  the  rainbow  and  the  thunder  in  the  same  cloud.  The 
Most  High  should  not  be  viewed  from  the  extreme  point 
of  a  cold,  stern,  unyielding  fatalism,  nor  yet  from  the 
other  extreme  of  a  sentimental  free-will  Pelagianism  that 
resolves  the  divine  character  into  nothing  but  a  sickly 
and  spurious  love.  Both  extremes  are  alike  derogatory 
to  the  perfection  of  God's  character.  In  him  justice  and 
mercy  harmonize. 

In  the  light  of  this  subject  we  see  that  God  is  justly 
chastising  us  for  our  sins — our  sins  as  individuals  and  as 
a  church  ;  and  yet  at  the  same  time  the  voice  of  mercy 
cries,  "Turn  ye,  turn  ye,  from  your  evil  ways;  why 
will  ye  die,  O  house  of  Israel  "  Its  rainbow  round 
about  the  throne,  like  unto  an  emerald,  invites  and  em- 
boldens sinners  to  draw  near,  that  they  may  find  grace 
to  help  in  time  of  need.  It  has  opened  up  the  gates  of 
Paradise,  through  which  the  expelled  sinners  may  enter 
in  and  eat  of  the  fruit  from  the  topmost  bough  of  the 
tree  of  life.  That  God  that  drove  man  out  of  Eden 
gives  also  the  promise,  "  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I 
g;ive  to  eat  of  the  tree  of  life,  which  is  in  the  midst  of  the 
Paradise  of  God." 


27 


COVENANTING    A    DUTY    IN    NEW    TES- 
TAMENT TIMES. 

BY    REV.    H.    H.    GEORGE. 

2  Cor.  8:5.     "And  this  they  did,  not  as  we  hoped,  but  first  gave  their  ^ 
/     own  selves  to  ihe  Lord,  and  unto    us  by  the  will  of  God.'' 

That  covenanting  is  a  duty,  the  Scriptures  clearly 
I  teach,  a  duty  binding  alike  upon  individuals  and  snnigty, 
\    upon  churches  and  nations.      As  an  act,  it  is  one  of  great,  ;p^^.^3(r 

solemnity  and  importance  ;  a  contract  with  God,  a  link    p^^p^ 
of  connection  with  his  throne,  and  an  oath  of  loyalty  to  ,yfft^^ 
him.      It  is  one,  whose  impress  upon  the  church  must  be 
marked  either  for  good   or   Illj   for  goo^,   if  done   with 
i  honest  purpose  and  sincerity  of  heart ;  forill,  if  unwor- 
!  thily  and  in  hypocrisy. 

We  select  this  text  as  an  e^^ample   of  covenant  reno- 
j  vation  by  the  New  Testament  church. 

The  three  churches  of  Macedonia,  viz,,  Phili^pi, 
Berea  and  Thessalonica,  were  endowed  with  the  grace 
of  God  that  disposed  them  to  contribute  liberally  to  the 
poor  saints  at  Jerusalem;  ^^this  they  did,"  as  the  result  of 
a  solemn  dedication  of  themselves  to  the  Lord.  It  was 
an  ecclesiastical  covenant,  in  which  all  the  churches  of 
/  Ma^cedonia  participated.  It  could  have  been  none  other 
than  an  act  of  covenanting,  because  theyhad  given  them- 
selves to  God  in  a  profession  many  years  before;  and. 
their  dedication  in  baptism  no  doubt  took  place  at  the 
time  of  iheir  profession,  as  it  was  customary  to  admin- 
ister baptism  immediately  upon  conversion  :  The  Lord 
opened  the  heart  of  Lydia,,  and  "she  was  baptized  and 


/ 


28  Memorial  Volume. 

I  hgr  household."  The  saniejiight  the  jailor  of_Phi]ippi 
I  believed  on  the  Lord  Jesus,  he  ^^was  baptized,  he  and 
?         all  his,  straightway." 

/  Nor  could  it  have  been  an  ordinary  communion  sea- 

son,  for  such  was  no  more  than  the  apostle  expected  of 

'  them  ;  but  this  was  an  unlooked   for  occasion,  ^'not  as 

f  we  hoped  or  expected  ;"  some  high,  extraordinary  conse- 

^?  oration,  verified  only  in  public  social  covenanting. 

!  Granting  that  covenanting  was  a  duty  recognized  and 

I  observed   in  former  times,  practiced  by  Jews  and  early 

j  Christians,  the  question  still  arises  in  the  minds  of  ipany, 

4>^  what  is  the  use  of  it  now  ?     Has  it  any  appropriateness 

to  our  day  ?     To  this  we  might  answer,  a  moral  duty 

never  ceases  in  its   obligations.      Instituted  by  God  for 

both  Old  and  New  Testament  dispensations,  it  remains 

with  perpetual  force  upon  the  church  as  long  as  her  or- 

^    '  ganization  continues. 

VWhen  any  thing  is  plainly  directed  in  the  word  of 
God,  it  is  presuming  to  be  wiser  than  he  to  ask  what  is 
-  the  use  of  it.  But  yet  many  obvious  reasons  may  be 
adduced  to  convince  the  inquirer  that  it  is  a  duty  now 
as  ever  before.  Let  us  first  consider  a  few  of  these 
reasons. 

-i-'      1st.  The  visible  oneness  of  the  church  is  maintained 

■^ ■  ■  -* 

by   covenant    renovation.      No   Bible   reader   will    deny 

that  thechurch  was  a  covenanted  society  in  the  days  of 
^     Abraham,  of  Isa^ac,  and  of  Jacob.      ^^  Which  cov^jiant 

he  made  with  Abraham  and  his  oath  unto  Isaac,  and 
I    confirmed  the  same  unto    [acob  for  ajaw,  znd^jjQ^JLsfa.e\ 

for  an  everksting  covenant."     It  w^as  the  basis  ofGod^s 

dealing  with  the  Patriarchs. 


Covenanting  a  Duty.  29 

Nor  was  it  different  through  the  entire  period  of  Moses, 
of  Samuel,  and  all  the  prophets. 

When  the  prophets  foretold  that  glorious  era  yet  to 
dawn  upon  our  world,  they  gave  prominence  to  the  fact,  that 
it  should  be  a  covenanting  period.  "  In  those  days,  and  in 
that  time,  saith  the  Lord,  the  children  of  Israel  shall  come, 
they  and  the  children  of  Judah  together,  going  and  weep- 
ing: they  shall  go,  and  seek  the  Lord  their  God.  They 
shall  ask  the  way  to  Zion,  with  their  faces  thitherward,  J{j^,57)' ' 
^  saying.  Come,  and  let  us  join  ourselves  to  the  Lord  --Zir" 
I  ina  perpetual  covenant  that  shall  not  be  forgotten." 
See  also  Is.  19  :  18-21,  and  44  :  5. 

Our  text  illustrates  the  same  idea  in  New  Testament 
times.  And  history  records  on  many  a  page,  that  the  true 
church  of  Christ  owned  publicly  her  covenant  relations 
to  him. 

The  Waldenses  were  a  covenant  society,  bound  by  an 
oath,  and  they  required  all  who^  iQi"edjth^m^to^^sub.scrih.e_. 
the  covenant.  /  A  German  divine  writes,  ^^  that  both  the 
Waldenses  of  Toulouse,  and  the  Hussites  of  Bghernia,, 
ratified  their  federal  transactions  with  solemn  oath/*  In 
the  year  1530,  a  historic  covenant  was  made  and  en- 
tered  into  by  the  Protestant  people  of  Germany,  together 
with  their  princes,  denominated  the  League  of  Smalkald. 
Seven'  years  subsequently,  the  Genevan  church  and  re- 
public  bound  themselves  by  solemn  covenant  to  the 
principal  doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  to  the 
order  and  discipline  of  the  primitive  church. 

In  1 620,jjir  Reformed  jrhurches  of  France  entered 
into  a  public  cov^Qant,  swearing  conformity  to  the  con- 
fession of  faith  then  adopted.     The   record   says,  "  we 

3 


30  Memorial  Volume. 

swear,  as  well  in  our  own  names  as  in  the  names  of  the 
churches  and  provinces  which  have  comnnssioned  us  to 
be  their  deputies  unto  this  assembly,  that  we  will  live 
and  die  in  this  confession." 


J> 


j        And  as  to  Great  Britain,  no  Protestant  need  be  told 

C^that  it  is  a  covenanted  land,  i  To  those  bonds  that  bound 
church  and  nation  to  Gjd,  we  look  back  as  bulwarks  of 
defence  to  the  followers  of  Christ ;  as  towering;  monu- 
ments  of  that  favor  of  God  that  led  them  through  the 
struggles  of  their  persecutions,  to  the  enjoyments  and 
privileges  of  a'  glorious  reformation.     The  Second   Re- 

/  (formation  is  known  by  all  readers  of  history  as  the  covj- 

]    ^nanted  reformatioru 

r^   Now,  with  this  line  of  history,  is  the  Covenanter  oil 
to-day  in  the  visible  oneness  of  the  church,  or  .the   man 
i    who  derides  the  solemn  act  ?       Is   the  true  church  of 
I    Christ  transmitted  through  the  line  of  covenants,  or   by 
'    the  way  of  covenant  renunciation   and  disregard  ?      Let 
the  reader  of  his  Bible  and  of  history  answer.       By  this 

i solemn  act  we  join  hands   with  all  the    faithful  of  past 
generations  back  to  Abraham  ;  by  it,  we   identify  wjth 
the  true  church  to-day,  and  bj  it  we  reach  forward  our 
hand  to  unborn  generations,  the^rand  gathering  of  all^ 
which  shall  constitute  one  general  assembly  around  the 
t h rone  of  God,  in  everlastinp^  covenant  with  himse If. 
But  a  2d  reason.     It  is  the  best  means  of  maintajn- 
*  ing  the  church's  testimony. 
^  In  those  days  of  the  past,  when  it  was  necessary  for 
trutTi  to  have  an  edge  upon  it,  when  it  was   necessary  to 
draw  aclear  dividing  line  between  the  friends  and  eiieiTiJes 
of  truth,  as,  e.  ^.,  the  days  when  Protestantism  was  born. 


Covenanting  a  Duty.  31 

and  had  to  struggle  through  years  of  blood  for  an  exist-  _ 
ence ;    those   were   __davs    when    coyrnant^   were  a   felt 
iiecessity.     Then   God's   people  felt  the  need  of  being  ] 
bound  together,  hand  and  heait  together,  to  stand  or  fall,  / 
to  l[ve  or  die  in  defence  of  glorious  principles.      As  our 
nation,  amid  the  struggles  of  rebellion,  bound  her  subjects  \ 
^an  oath  of  loyalty,  so   the  church   amid  the   fires   gf  J 
persecution  bound  her  subjects  with  an  oath  of  fealty  to 
the  great  Captain  of  her  salvation.  yj 

■^  The  first  reformation,  from  popery,  had  been  a  failure/V  \  j!    f 
had  not   strong  men,  bound  by    solemn   oath,  stood  un- 
flinchingly  together.       The  second   reformation,    from/<l,M,^ 
prelacy^   would    have    been    trodden    under   foot,   when     /- V7     .^ 
popish  influence  combining   with  corrupt  civil  authority 
drew    the   sword    against    all    nonconformists,  had    not 
worthy  rnen,  bound  to  God  and  one  another,  faced  the 
storms,   and   held  aloft  their   testimony,  till   God  gave 
them  victory  through  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  and  the 
word  of  that  testimony. 

In  these  days  when  the  enemy  of  souls  has  intoxicated 
the  church  with  the  idea  of  popularity,  persuading  her 
that  she  must  let  down  her  standards  in  order  to  suit  the 
wants  of  the  day,  that  she  must  be  accommodating,,  and 
have  no  distinctive  principles  at  all,  nQ_explicit  testinipny, 
%%  h  is  no  wonder  that  covenanting  is  unpopular.  There 
i  ^^  pot  that  unity  of  faith,  oneness  of  sentiment,  and 
uniformity  of  practice  against  the  crying  evils  of  the 
world,  to  make  a  basis  for  covenanting. 

Men  may  agree  together  on  election  in  the  same 
church,  but  they  differ  on  politics  ;  they  agree  on  tem- 
perance and   Sabbath  keeping,  but  they  differ  on  secret 


32  Memorial  Volume. 

societies  ;  they  stand  Jogether  in  resisting  popery,  but 
they  differ  widely  in  regard  to  the  propriety  of  connec- 
tion with7vTasonjc_lodges.  But  those  who  have  a  testi- 
mony, and  have  a  heart  to  maintain  it,  a  courage  to 
stand  by  and  defend  it,  such  greatly  reinforce  .them- 
selves by  covenanting ;  thereby  they  combine  their 
strength  with  their  courage,  and  unite  their  labor  and 
effort  in  its  maintenance. 
2 — '  In  the    ':^d    place.      It    is   the    best   means   of   trans- 

mitting  a  faithful  legacy  to  our  children.     "  For  he  estab- 
lished a  testimony  in  Jacob,  and  appointed  a  law  in  Israel, 
which  he  commanded  our  fathers,  that  they  should  make 
them  known  to  their  children  ;   that  the   generation  to 
come  might  know  them,  even  the  children  vt^hich  sl^ould 
be   born,   who   should  arise   and  declare  ^^em   to  .tkeir 
children."      Another  command   with   reference  to   this 
testimony  is,   "  Bind  it  up,  and  seal  the  law  among  my 
disciples." 
r"    No  more  effectual  bonds   can  be   put  upon    it,  than 
/  those  of  covenant  obligation  ;  and  in  no  better  way  can 
1  it  be  kepPsafe,  and  preserved  intact,  for  transmission  to 
posterity,  than  by  an  oath  of  fidelity. 

One  of  the  aims  prominently  held  forth  in  all  the 
Ancient  covenants  was  the  transmitting  to  future  gene- 
rations the  blessings  vouchsafed  in  them,  "^will  be  a. 
God  unto  thee,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee."  "  For  the 
promise  is  unto  you,  and  to  vour  children,  and  to  all  that 
^\  are  afar  off,  even  as  many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall 
call."  To  those  who  were  actually  engaged  in  crucify- 
ing the  Messiah,  Peter  says,  ^^  Ye  areThe  chTJdrenjof  the 
prophets,  and  of  the  covenant  which  God  made  with  our 


Covenanting  a  Duty.  33 

fathers,  saying  unto  Abraham,  And  in  thy  seed  shall  a]l 
t he  kindreds  of  the  earth  be  blessed . ' ' 

The  principle  of  the  defending  obligations  of  cove- 
nants  is  one  familiar  to£very  mind.      A  parent  contracts      ^♦■>;^*'U3 
an_honest_debt,  and   his    surviving^  children  are  morally  - 

bound  to  pay  it.      A   nation  assumes  obligations  in  one    /irx^^^^MT 
period    that  are  justly  entailed  upon  future  generations 
to  be  discharged. 

Many  of  the  benevolent  schemes  in  operation,  such 
as  schools  of  learning,  asjlunis  for  the  poor,  and  even 
missionary  efforts,  are  only  the  carrying  out  of  contracts 
made  by  such  as  lived  years  ago.  Pr£P£L0  "^^  directed 
bywiil,  may  be  squandered  in  many  a  way  ;  but  fixed 
by  testamental  stipulation,  it  must  take  that  direction. 
So  in  like  manner,  principles,  covenanted,  oath-bound, 
principles,  are  transmitted,  and  bear  yvith  ail  the  weighty 
of  solemn,  sworn  contract,  upon  the  children  of  those^ 

that  take  them.  f'1«n>"^-'*''*'*^ 

The  covenant  Qo.d  made  with  Israel  at  Horeb  bound         :^f 
with  equal  weight  in  all   its  provisions  upon   those  who  y^d>^^—"^ 
stood  there  at  the  taking  of  it,  and  upon  the   generation 

who  lived  long  afterwards.      "  The  Lord  our  God  made     ^^ 

a  covejianjiwith  us  in  Horeb;    the  Lord   made   not  this 
covenant  with   our    fathers,   but  zi;/V/jj^',  even    z^i,   who_ 
are  all  of  us  here  alive  this  day."       When  Joseph   was^ 

about  to  die,  he  "  took  an  oath  of  the  children  of  Israel, 

saying,  God  will  surely  visit  you,  and  ye  shall  carry   up j  ^ 

my  bones  from  hence."     Several  hundred  years  after- 
wards, when  Israel  was  setting  out  on  their  departure, 
we  read,  "  And^ Moses  took  the  bones  of  Joseph  with  \ 
him  ;  for  he  had   straitly  sworn  the  children  of  Israel^  / 


34  Memorial  Volume. 

saying,  God  will  surely  visit  you  ;  and  ye  shall  carry  up 
niy  bones  away  hence  with  you." 

When  the  Gibeonites  came  to  Joshua  under  false  pre- 

tences,  he  made  a  covenarit  with  them  that  they  should 

.  not  be  put  to  deatlT;  years  afterwards,  Saul  broke  the 

covenant  by  slaying  them ;  and  fiye_hundred  years  from 

^  /    the  time  the  covenant  was  rnade,  there  was  a  faminejn 

/  Israel,  because  of  Saul  and  his  bloody  hqjjse,  for  he  had, 

slain  the  Gibeonites. 

God  will  see  to  it,  that  faithful  covenant  contracts 
are  transmitted  to  posterity,  and  as  faithfully  observed  ; 
or  else  the  breach  will  be  atoned  for  by  sufferin^the 
penalty. 
^,.        On  the  principle  that  human  contracts  are  binding, 
and  after  confirmation  can  never  be  withdrawn  or  mu- 
ytilated,  Paul  says,  "  Brethren,  I  speak  after  the  manner 
I    ofnien,  though  it  be  but  a  man's  covenant,  yet,  if  it  be 
confirmed,  no    man  disannulleth    or    addeth    thereto ;" 
which  is  to  say,  that  every  principle  in  the  bond  that  we 
are  about  to  swear,  will  not  only  be  binding  upon  us,  but 
upon  our  children  in  all  time  to  come. 
I    A    second    general    thought  we  notice  is,  the  tinies 
that  call  for  covenanting. 

A  time  when  danger  threatens  the  cause 
jhteojusness. 

'S  when   the  stqrm-clo,ud  gathered  thick 

and  dark  over  ancient  Israel,  threatening  to  pour  out  the 

floods  of  Jehovah's  indignation,  Israel,  under  the  leader- 

l  ship  of  such  wise  men  as  Hezekiah,  Josiah  and  Nehe- 

i   miah,  who  could  discern  the  signs  of  the  times,  were  \^ 

I   to  God  in  holy  covenant.     "  Now,  it  is   in  my    heart 


C 


//     I      And   I  St.     A 

(/ '  /  jbf  truth  and  rigl 

/     In]  those  days 


Covenanting  a  r)UTY.  35 

to  make  a  covenant  with  the  Lord  God   of  Israel,  that  k  ^^^^^^ 
his  fierce  wrath  may  turn  away  from^s."     In  the  days 
of  our  fathers,  when  the  ark  of  God  trembled  upon  the 

cart  wheels,  when  the  conflict  rao;ed  between  the  blind 

«ii  II  "  ■  — 

and  maddened  forces  of  popery  and  the  friends  of  civil 
and  religious  liberty,  when  the  ^reat  issues  pressing  upon 
the  world  were,  whether  the  nig;ht  of  ignorance  and 
superstition  shall  continue,  QjL.t he  sunlight  of  truth  and 
rig;hteousness  dawn  upon  the  earth  ;  whether  the  yoke 
of  popery  should  continue  to  gall  the  necks,  and  the 
cnains^of  superstition  fetter  the  limbs  of  mankind,  or 
j^  should  liberty,  glorious  liberty,  bless  the  earth  ;  amid  the 
struggles  of  such  jjmes,  the  friends  of  God  and  truth 
took  refuge  in  solemn  covenaiit>  They  believed  the 
promise,  "  For  in  the  time  of  trouble  he  shall  hide  me  in  ^ 
hij_pa.vilion."  They  heard  the  invitation,  "  Come,  rny 
people,  enter  thou  into  thy  chambers  "  of  covenant 
security,  "and  shut  thy  doors  about  thee  j  hide  thyself^as 
>  it  were  for  a  little  moment,  until  the  indignation  be  over- 
l  past/^'  They  entrenched  themselves  within  the  QQ.ve- 
\  nants,  as  bulwarks  of  defence. 

And  are  not  the  aspects  of  danger  equally  threatening 
to  the  cause  of  God  in  our  own  day  ?  When  enemies, 
strong  and  mighty,  are  massing  their  forces,  and  "taking 
counset  together  against  the  Lord  and  agajnst  his  An- 
ointed, saying,  Let  us  break  their  bands  asunder,  and 
cast  away  their  cords  from  us,"  it  is  manifest  to  every 
observer  that  the  enemies^of  God  and  his  church  are 
augmenting  their  strength,  organizing  their  effort  and  in- 
creasing in  boldness. 

Already  they  hesitate  not  to  make  open  warfare  upon 


/ 


f 


36  Memorial  Volume 

theJible__and^dTe  Sabbath  of  the  Lord.  With  foul 
hands  they  are  attejnptin^  to  disrobe  the  Redeemer  of 
jhe  world  of  his  divinity,  and  with  blasphemous  tongues 
they  assert  that  in  his  stead  there  is  a  coming  man.  They 
arc  crucifying  the  Lord  that,  bought  them,  and  infa- 
mously casting  his  authority  behind  their  backs.  As 
Prophet  they^  deny  him,  aa..£dest  they  disown  liini,  and 
as  King  they  proudly  rebel  against  him,  saying,  /^  We 
will  not  have  this  man  to  reign  over  us/* 


Never,  perhaps,  was_a  more  opportune  time  for  the 
friejids  of  Christ  to  bind  themselves  to  him.,  and  to  one 
another  in  holy  covenant,  as  a  bulwark  of  defence  against 
his  and  their  enemies.  When  the  enemy's  flood  of 
infidelity,  Sabbath  desecration,  profamty,  intempeiaince, 
Ifcentiousness,  and  every  species  of  rebellion,  is  thi;eat- 
ening  to  sweep  all  before^it,  by  jcovenanting  the  Spidt 
of  God  will  enable  the  church  "  to  lift  up  a  standard 
against  him." 

2d.    Times  of  declension,  when  the  faith  and  practice 
J  j  of   the  church  are    weakening,   when    lukewarmness  is 

pervading  the  ranks,  and  covetousness,  which  is  idolatry, 
is  captivating  the  hearts  of  God's  people. 

During  the  last    days  of  Joshua,  Israel   had    become 

greatly  addicted  to^idolatry  ;  they  served  the  gods^th^eii;. 

father's   served  on   the  other   side  of   the  flood,  and   the 

gods  of  the   Amorites.     Joshua  summoned  them   all  to 

Shechem.    There  he  put  the  test,  "  Choose  you  this  day_^ 

-^.whoni,ye  wili.serve^"     In  respon_se  they  said  to  Joshua, 

"  The  Lord  our  jjod  will  we  serve,  and  his  voice  will  we 

/  obey.'*     "  SoJ^shua  made  a  coven^t   with  the   people 

Cf*'     j   that  day,  and  set  them  a  statute   and  an   ordinance  in 


Covenanting  a  Duty.  37 

Shechem."     This  covenant  was  made  for  a  state_of_de- 
clension,  and  desjgned  as  a  reclamation  fromjdqlatry. 

What  true   lover  of  Christ  does  not  feel  to-day   that  ^ 
vital  piety  is  low  ;  that  while  there  is  much  of  the  form,    \ 
there  is    but    little   of    the    power    of   ^odlingss ;    that    J  yi 
worldhness  has  taken  a  deep  hold  upon 'the  church,  and   / 
folly  and  fashion  have__made  many   inroads  upon  her  ? 
"  The  waysof  Zion  do  mourn,  because  none  come   to  ^ 
the  solemn  feasts  :  all  her  gates  are^desojate  :  her  priests 
li^,  her   virgins^  are  affljcted,  and  ^he  is   in  bitterjiess. 
Her  adversaries    are  the    chjef,    her_enemies    prosper." 
But,  for  such  a  state  of  things  there  is  a  remedy,  for  such 
decline  there  is  an  antidote  ;  and  that  is  found  in  return- 
ino-  to  God  with    sorrow  in   our  hearts,  and  honest   con- 
fession  upon  our  lips,  binding  our  souls  in  solemn  cove- 
nant to  be  obedient.     "  All  that  the  Lord  hath  said  wiU       A 
we  do,  and  be  obedient." 

To  arrest  the  back  slider,  to  .stay  the  tide  of.  decljen-    \ 
sion,  and  to  return  again  to  the  favor  of  God,  there  can    j  r- 
be  no  more   direct  and   efficient   way  than  Jby__s wearing 
anew  to  be  his,  and  only  his,  and  his  tore_ver. 


\  3d.  Times  when  we  are  desiring  and  praying  for 
/  a  revival.  An  immediace  outgrowth,  or  evidence  of  a 
grand  revival  contemplated  by  the  prophet,  when  God 
says,  ''  I  will  pour  water  upon  him  that  is  thirsty,  axid 
floods_upon  the  dry  ground  ;  I  will  pour  my  Spirit  upoji 
thy  seed,  and  my  blessing  upon  thine  offsprino;,"  is  co_y- 
en^nt  engageinent.  "•  One  shall  say,  I  am  the  Lord's  ; 
and  another  shall  call  himself  by  the  name  of  Jacok,; 
and  another  sEall  subscribe  withjhi'^  hand  nnrn  the  Lord^,  ^ 
and  surname  himself  by  the  name  of  Israel." 


/  /A 


3^  Memorial  Volume. 

Not__only  is  it  an_  evidence,  ^but_^lso  the  procuring; 
cause  of  a  revival.  To  swear  a  covenant  is  only  a  new 
engagement  to  be  the  Loni's,  an  additional  bond  of  de- 
votedness,  a  superadded  vow  to  befalthtul  and  true  ;  and 
what  else  is  a  revival  ?  In  Hezekiah*s  day,  the  people 
^  rejoiced  when  they  had  taken  the  oat h . 

The  history  of  all  such  occasions  shows  an  awakened 
interest  upon  the   part   of  the  covenanters.      Amid   the 
dark_days   of  Scotland^  when  the  sword  of  persecution 
was  being  glutted   wjth   the   blood   of  the   saints,  those 
>  who  had  solemnly  covenanted  with  God  never  lost  faiths 
I  in  the  moral  force  of  their  vo^. 
("^     When  James  Guthrie,  a   faithful  martyr,  was  led   to 
I  I  the  scaffold,  his  eyes  were  bandag:ed,  and  all  things  made 
gx^  j  Jready  for  the  execution  ;  the  last  moment  before  the  fa^al 
-'--^[fji  platform  was  turned,  he  raised  the  napkin  from  his  ey^s, 
"^   Ip-and  cried  ajoud,  "  The  covenants,  the  covenants  sh^ll  ^t 
V  be  Scotland's  reviving."  ^ 

"~"     Arntd^  the  excitements  of  this  day,  the  great  feature_i^ 
/"a  genuine   revival,  viz.,   fidelity  to  God  and  his  truth, 
^ seems  to  be  in  no  small  deo;ree  ignored.      The   fact  that 
revivals  are    cnily   by   the    Spirit  of  God,    and  that  ac- 
cording to  his^ord,  seems  oftentimes  to   be   lost  sight 
/of.     The   prayer    of  the    psalmist   of  Israel,  ''  Quicken 
(^Ap*"'^^  j  thou    me  according  to    thy    word,"   is   unheeded  ;    and 
«'         I  hence  their  spasmodic  character.       We  Jia[l    with  glad- 
ness the  promised  day   of  revival,  grand,  universal  re\ii- 
val,  but  we  expect  it  not   till  men  are  ready   to   make  a 
complete  surrender    of   themselves,   and    all   they   have 
apd  are^  to  God  ;  to  pledge  themselves  in  solemn  vow  to 
be  for  him,  and  not  for  another. 


(TV^ 


( 


Covenanting  a  Duty.  39 

"  In  those  days,  and  in  that  time,  saith   the  Lord,  the 
children  of  Israel  shall  come,  they  and    the  children  of 
Judah  together,  going  and   weeping  :   they  shall  go,  and 
seek  the  Lord  their  God.     They  shall  ask  the  way  to    \ 
Zion,  with   their    faces  thitherward,  saying,  Come,  and     J    /  / 
let  us  join   ourselves  to  the  Lord  jii  a  perpetual  cove^i^V 
nant  that   shall  not  be  forgotten."  /^ 

Conclusion. 

1.  In  covenanting,  we  should  have  a  deep  view  of 
sin.  It  is  our  nearest  approach  to  Him  ^^  who  cannpt 
look  upon  sin,"  "  whose  eyes  see  and  whose  eyelids  try 
men's  sons." 

2.  We  need  great_toh.  In  the  darkesthour  tjiat 
ever  brooded  over  this  lost  world.,  when  the  Sayjour  jjf 
men  was  suffering,  he  set  us  an  example  oj"  faith,  "  My 
God,  my  God."  Well  he  knew,  though  all  else  should 
prove  a  wreck,  that  God  who  had  made  fhe  rnvenant 
with  him  was  still  his  Goj. 

3.  We  need   importunate  prayer.     "  Take   with  you  \      /  vV  nC 
words^  and  turn  to  the  Lord  ;  say  untojiim,  Take^^way  j  ^  ^ 

all  iniquity,  and  receive  us  graciously."  j^^i^rX  JH  'Xi 

4.  We  need  t^  kno\v  and_feel  our  own  personal  cove=. 
nant  relation  to  God.  "  Th_e  secret  of  the  Lord  i_s 
wltFTEeiTr  that  fear  him  ;  and   he  will  show  them   hjs 


covenant. 


^ 


40 


HUMILIATION   FOR  SIN  A  PREPARATION 
FOR  ENJOYING  DIVINE  FAVOR. 

BY    REV.    JAMES    KENNEDY. 
Psalm    io6  :  6.     "  We  have  sinned  with  our  fathers." 

Whatever  may  be  thought  of  the  theory  of  Heng- 
stenberg,  that  the  105th  and  the  io6th  psalms  form  two 
members  of  a  trilogy,  of  which  the  104th  is  the  first, 
it  is  plain  that  these  two  psalms  are  most  intimately 
connected,  and  relate  to  the  same  subject.  Perhaps 
it  would  be  more  natural  to  regard  them  as  a  double 
psalm — a  morning  and  evening  hymn — having  the  same 
subject — God's  ways  with  man,  as  set  forth  in  his  deal- 
ings with  the  nation  of  Israel  The  105th  presents  this 
subject  from  the  divine  stand-point,  the  ro6th,  from  the 
human.  The  former  is  replete  with  the  infinite  conde- 
scension, wisdom,  goodness,  long-sufFering,  faithfulness 
and  grace  of  Jehovah — the  latter  with  the  ingratitude, 
folly,  waywardness,  and  inexcusable  wickedness  and  re- 
bellion of  man  ;  and  together  they  bring  the  lights  and 
shades  of  the  divine  government  into  clearer  manifestation 
by  their  vivid  contrasts.  As  the  artist  places  behind  the 
object  to  be  photographed  a  screen,  on  which,  as  a  back- 
ground, the  lights  and  shades  of  his  pictures  may  be 
more  distinctly  visible,  so  here  human  wickedness  is 
spread  out,  that  on  its  darkness  the  glory  of  divine  wis- 
dom, faithfulness  and  longsuffering  may  have  a  more 
glorious  manifestation.  As  a  hw  tons  of  water  are  raised 
from  earth,  and  spread  out  as  a  dark  canvas,  on  which  to 


Humiliation  for  Sin  a  Duty.  41 

paint  the  glories  of  the  bow,  and  every  drop  in  that 
weeping  cloud  has  prismatic  power  to  exhibit  more  dis- 
tinctly the  colors  in  the  sun's  rays — so  in  the  story  of 
Israel  here,  there  is  raised  up  and  spread  out  before  our 
view,  a  dark  mass  of  humanity,  and  on  aH  its  various 
aspects  and  workings  are  to  be  seen,  reflected  in  brighter 
colors,  the  glories  of  the  divine  character  and  govern- 
ment. At  the  same  time  the  ingratitude  and  inexcusable 
wickedness  of  man,  and  the  horrid  character  of  his  deep 
depravity,  become  more  strikingly  manifest,  when  con- 
templated in  the  light  of  the  divine  glory  shining  on  them. 

The  practical  application  of  these  great  principles  to 
ourselves  in  our  present  circumstances,  is  easily  made. 
We  realize  and  enjoy  more  of  God  at  any  time,  the 
deeper,  clearer  and  more  impressive  the  views  we  have  of 
own  sinfulness  ;  and  to  labor  after  and  diligently  seek 
such  humbling  views  of  ourselves,  is,  at  any  time,  the  best 
preparation  for  more  enlarged  manifestations  and  gracious 
experience  and  enjoyment  of  God.  As  has  been  beau- 
tifully said,  "  All  gracious  experience  of  God  is  like  the 
rainbow,  beams  from  heaven  in  drops  from  earth." 

How  seasonable,  then,  the  exercise  for  which  we  meet  ! 
We  are  hoping  and  expecting  enlarged  manifestations  of 
divine  favor  in  connection  with  a  season  of  covenanting 
and  renewed  communion.  Can  anything  be  more  suit- 
able, then,  than  that  we  follow  the  example  of  the  godly, 
who  in  past  tfmes  have  gone  before  us  in  such  work,  and 
meditate  deeply  and  frequently  on  our  own  exceeding 
sinfulness,  and  its  enormous  aggravations,  that  our  hearts 
may  be  duly  affected,  and  from  a  realizing  sense  of  our 

4 


42  Memorial  Volume. 

own  criminality  before  God  we  may  confess,  "  We 
have  sinned  with  our  fathers  ?" 

Consider  here,  I.  The  Confession. 

The  confession  has  regard  to  three  things  :  sin,  sin 
which  we  feel  we  have  committed,  and,  sin  aggravated 
by  its  having  been  "  with  our  fathers." 

I.   It  regards  sin. 

There  are  many  terms  employed  In  Scripture  to  denote 
what  is  morally  evil  or  wrong,  before  God,  in  its  differ- 
ent degrees  and  shades  of  guilt.  Sin  is  one  of  these, 
and  like  other  terms  employed,  as,  iniquity,  transgression, 
trespass,  error,  wickedness,  etc.,  has  always  reference  to 
a  standard  of  obedience.  "  For  sin  is  the  transgres- 
sion of  the  law."  Without  correct  views,  therefore, 
of  the  law,  there  can  be  no  just  idea  of  the  sinfulness  of 
sin.  It  is  from  knowing  that  "the  law  is  holy,  and  the 
commandment  holy,  just  and  good,"  and  being  able  to 
say,  "  For  we  know  that  the  law  is  spiritual,"  that  we 
come  to  add,  "  but  I  am  carnal  and  sold  under  sin." 
Besides,  however,  a  knowledge  of  the  absolute  perfec- 
tion and  universal  extent  of  the  law,  it  helps  us  to  clearer 
views  of  sin  to  know  exactly  the  form  of  law  against 
which  our  sin  has  been  committed.  Law  may  exist  In 
one  of  three  forms.  First,  law  absolute,  or  the  will  of 
the  Creator  absolutely  enjoining  or  impressing  upon  the 
creature,  as  a  sovereign,  a  rule  of  obedience.  Law  in 
this  aspect,  consists  of  two  elements,  a  precept  and  a 
penalty.  Secondly,  law  economic,  or  law  in  a  covenant 
form.  This  form  of  law  differs  from  the  absolute  in 
two  respects.  First,  it  is  proposed  to  the  subject  and 
receives  his  assent,  and,  secondly,  a  promise  is  added  to 


Humiliation  for  Sin  a  Duty.  43 

the  precept  and  penalty  to  encourage  obedience.  Under 
this  form  of  law  we  know  the  human  family  was  origi- 
nally placed,  and  from  certain  hints  contained  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, it  is  highly  probable  that  this  was  the  form  under 
which  angels  were  also  placed  at  their  creation.  That 
the  laws,  under  which  they  were  to  serve,  had  their 
assent,  seems  implied  in  what  is  predicated  of  their  obedi- 
ence, "  that  do  his  commandments,  hearkening  unto  the 
voice  of  his  word,"  and  that  they  serve  under  a  promise, 
is  deducible  from  the  fact  that  they  shall  be  judged,  and  if 
judged,  of  course,  rew^arded.  "  Know  ye  not  that  we 
shall  judge  angels  ?"  The  God-man  judge,  with  accla- 
mations of  assent  from  the  justified  throng  of  redeemed 
saints,  shall,  no  doubt,  on  the  great  day  of  assize,  decree 
and  proclaim  a  reward  of  increased  honor  and  happiness 
to  holy  angels  for  the  diligence  wherewith  they  have 
labored  to  promote  all  the  ends  contemplated  in  the 
covenant  of  grace,  as  well  as  sentence  to  punishment 
those  fallen  spirits  who  have  labored  to  frustrate  God's 
gracious  purpose.  Now  this  form  of  law,  the  economic, 
violated  and  taking  effect,  just  constitutes  man's  present 
moral  standing  and  condition.  Its  precept  broken,  and 
ability  longer  to  obey  it  on  his  part  gone — its  penalty 
incurred  and  in  part  inflicted — its  promise  lost — whilst 
from  having  had,  and  still  having,  a  measure  of  assent, 
on  his  part,  that  it  is  good,  his  mouth  is  stopped,  and  he 
is  brought  in  guilty  before  God,  and  nothing  remains  to 
him  but  a  ""fearful  looking  for  of  judgment  and  fiery 
indignation." 

As,  however,   the   confession   before    us    is    made  by 
God's  people  in  a  new  relation,  that  of  children  in  Christ, 


44  Memorial    Volumh. 

there  must  be  another  form  of  law  against  which  their 
sins  are  committed.    This  is   law   mediatorial.      "  Being 
not  without  law  to   God,  but  under  the  law  to  Christ." 
Whilst    unbelievers    still    remain   under  law,  with   pre- 
cept violated,  penalty  incurred,  and  promise  lost,  in  the 
economy    of  grace,    through    the    work  of  Christ,   be- 
lievers   are    brought    into    a    new    relationship   to    law. 
In  Christ  they  are  under  law  with  its  precept  fulfilled  by 
perfect  and  accepted  obedience,  its  penalty  borne,  and  its 
promise    made    sure.      It    may    be    asked  in  their  case, 
"  Wherefore  then  serveth  the  law  ?  "      It  was  added  as 
the  rule  of  the  Mediator's   government,   that  by  it  we 
may  render  obedience  to  Christ,  and  attain  sanctification 
of  nature   and   life.      The   sins  of  a  believer,  therefore, 
after  conversion,  are  transgressions  of  this  new  form  of 
law — law  mediatorial.     They  do  not  and  cannot  destroy 
his  state    of   justification,  for    that  is    founded    on   the 
perfect    obedience  of  his  surety,   and   "  there  is  no  con- 
demnation to  them  who  are  in  Christ  Jesus."     They  do 
not  endanger  his  safety,  for  in  Christ  he  is  not  in  a  state 
of  probation,    but    "  has    passed  from  death   unto    life." 
They  do  not  make  void  the  promise,  "  P  or  all  the  prom- 
ises  of  God   in  him  are  yea,  and  in  him   Amen,  unto 
the  glory  of  God,  by  us."     But  they  strike   against  the 
authority  of  God   as  put  forth   through   the  mediatorial 
government  ;  against  our  new  relationship  to  him  in  the 
covenant  of  grace  ;  against  his  purpose,  love  and  grace 
in  our  salvation  ;  against  the  ends  of  Christ's  sufferings 
and  government  ;  against  the  work  and  presence  of  the 
Spirit  within  us  ;  and   against   our   holy   calling  and  our 
manifold  obligations  to  obey  and  honor  our  Saviour  and 


Humiliation  for  Sin  a  Duty.  45 

Lord  The  sins  .of  believers,  then,  though  not  condem- 
ning, are  awfully  aggravated  ;  indeed,  moie  aggravated 
than  sins  against  any  other  form  of  law.  being  not  only 
in  direct  opposition  to  God's  authority,  but  to  his  whole 
object  and  design  in  the  plan  of  redemption  and  its  medi- 
atorial administration. 

2.  The  confession  regards  sin  which  we  feel  we  have 
committed.  In  morals,  as  in  physics,  it  is  sometimes 
difficult  to  realize  the  connection  between  general  prin- 
ciples and  facts.  The  boy  who  has  been  taught  in  his 
class-room  that  the  law  of  gravitation  is  always  holding 
him  down  to  the  planetary  centre,  little  realizes  the 
power  of  such  a  law  in  his  leaps,  gambols  and  gymnastic 
efforts  during  his  hours  of  play.  In  like  manner  the 
mind  may  assent  to  the  formula,  "  that  action  and  re- 
action are  equal  and  contrary,"  yet  can  hardly  credit 
the  fact  that  the  result  of  that  law  is,  that  wh  itever  we 
touch  acts  back  on  us  as  strongly  as  we  act  on  it ;  that  in 
every  footfall,  for  example,  the  earth  strikes  back  upon 
the  walker  a  blow  with  the  same  force  as  that  where- 
with itself  is  struck.  This  arises  from  our  ignorance  of 
the  manner  in  which  physical  laws  apply  and  operate. 
So  also  it  is  in  morals.  We  are  quite  ready,  in  a  general 
way,  to  admit  the  existence  of  law,  and  that  we  have 
transgressed  it,  and  thereby  become  sinners.  But  when 
we  come  to  facts  and  particulars,  to  specific  sins,  alas  !  it 
often  turns  out  that  we  have  no  proper  sense  of  sin  at 
all.  If  questioned,  men  will  readily  admit  "  O  yes,  we 
are  sinners,  great  sinners."  But  ask,  well,  what  have 
you  done  ?  What  so  grievous  sins  have  you  com- 
mitted ?     What  is  wrong  in  your  life  .?     Are  you  drunk 

4* 


46  Memorial  Volume. 

ards,  Sabbath-breakers,  dishonest,  liars  ?  They  will 
probably  answer  with  righteous  indignation,  no,  no  !  and 
perhaps  regard  themselves  as  grossly  insulted.  They  are 
willing  to  admit  sin  in  the  abstract,  so  long  as  you  do 
not  come  to  particulars,  and  most  devoutly  repeat,  "  The 
whole  head  is  sick,  and  the  whole  heart  faint,"  while 
they  neither  feel  nor  will  admit  one  symptom  of  the 
moral  malady.  Now,  there  is  no  proper  confession  of 
sin,  without  feeling  wherein  lue  have  transgressed,  "  ^f^e 
have  sinned  with  our  fathers." 

Applying  these  principles  to  our  present  circumstances, 
should  not  we,  about  to  enter  into  covenant  with  God, 
ministers,  elders  and  members  of  the  church,  seek  out 
and  confess  those  sins  more  particularly  connected  with 
the  position  we  occupy,  and  the  performance  of  the  duties 
to  which  we  have  engaged  ? 

And  first,  in  respect  to  the  sins  of  ministers.  Among 
many  things  that  might  be  noticed,  the  following  are 
suggested  for  consideration,  of  course  without  personal 
knowledge  or  personal  reference  :  Should  it  not  be  to 
us  a  most  humbling  consideration  and  a  special  sin  to  be 
confessed,  how  little  we  have  really  felt  the  value  of 
perishing  souls,  and  how  little  we  have  been  in  earnest 
for  their  salvation  ;  how  much  self-seeking  in  an  office 
which  we  have  declared  that  we  have  been  moved  to 
undertake,  not  from  any  selfish  motive,  but  for  "  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  edification  of  the  church  ;"  how 
little  close  walking  with  God,  too,  in  the  duties  of  our 
office,  and  how  little  habitual  spirituality,  and  earnest 
devotedness  of  end,  aim  and  pursuit,  in  doing  our  work! 
In   rising  from  the   perusal  of  the   biographies   of  such 


Humiliation  for  Sin  a  Duty.  47 

men  as  Payson,  or  McCheyne,  or  of  such  books  as 
James'  "  Earnest  Ministry,"  how  often  we  have  been 
ready  to  exclaim,  have  we  been  living  as  ministers  of 
Christ  at  all  !  Can  Christ  recognize  us  at  all  !  Again, 
in  prosecuting  our  studies  so  as  to  keep  up  with  the 
attainments  of  the  age,  and  be  able  to  refute  the  errors 
that  are  constantly  being  propagated  in  the  regions  of 
theology,  philosophy,  literature  and  science,  as  well  as  to 
have  always  something  new,  as  well  as  old,  out  of  the 
treasury,  and  thus  always  maintain  that  forward  position 
in  relation  to  the  people,  that  will  enable  us  to  be  really 
teachers,  how  imperfectly  we  have  performed  our  duty  ! 
Yielding  up  ourselves  to  slothful  indolence,  or  wasting 
time  in  unprofitable  pursuits,  or  engrossed  with  wordly 
interests,  and  neglecting  the  aid  of  the  vast  mass  of 
biblical  literature,  that  in  our  day  is  courting  us  to  the 
investigation  of  every  Scripture  question,  how  often  have 
we  been  very  imperfect  in  our  attempts  to  feed  the 
flock  of  Christ  according  to  the  requirements  of  the 
times  !  In  reading  the  discourses  of  some  of  our  per- 
secuted fathers,  prepared  under  circumstances  so  unfa- 
vorable as  theirs  must  have  been,  we  have  often  felt,  in 
this  respect,  our  great  shortcomings.  Take  up,  for  ex- 
ample, the  sermons  of  the  youthful  martyr  Renwick, 
and  consider  under  what  circumstances,  discourses  that 
yet  please  and  thrill  as  well  as  edify,  were  produced. 
When  hiding  in  some  mountain  refuge  with  nothing  but 
the  shelter  of  a  rock,  or  burrowing  in  some  natural  cav- 
ern, or  artificial  retreat  excavated  in  the  earth,  with  fur- 
niture no  better  than  a  couch  of  heath  from  the  hillside ; 
without  books,  or  study,  or  help,  save  like  the  dieamer 


48  Memorial  Volume. 

in  Bedford  jail,  his  Bible,  he  produced  sermons  which 
for  matter,  arrangement,  and  copiousness  of  illustration, 
would  not  only  compare  favorably  with  the  best  speci- 
mens of  our  own  day,  but  which  put  to  shame  many  of 
our  lame  attempts,  notwithstanding  all  our  unprecedented 
facilities.  Again,  how  satisfied  we  have  been  with  the 
mere  routine,  and  often  the  very  perfunctory  performance 
of  ministerial  duty,  without  either  watering  our  sowing 
with  our  tears,  or  cherishing  it  into  success  by  our  loving 
labors  and  prayers,  and  so  little  concerned  as  scarcely  to 
look  back  for  results  !  And  as  we  continue  our  search, 
how  much  wasted  time  and  opportunities  of  doing  good, 
neglected  and  lost,  come  up  to  reprove  and  humble  us  ! 
How  often  we  may  feel  as  once  did  the  noble  Chalmers, 
who,  having  spent  a  most  agreeable  evening  in  general 
conversation  with  a  British  officer  of  high  rank,  in  the 
house  of  a  friend,  was  shocked,  next  morning,  to  learn 
that  his  pleasant  companion  of  the  previous  evening  had, 
during  the  intervening  night,  passed  away  into  the 
eternal  state,  and  gave  utterance  to  his  feelings  to  this 
effect :  ^''  We  are  enjoined  to  ^  be  instant  in  season  and 
out  of  season.'  A  wise  precept ;  for  who  can  tell  what 
is  really  most  seasonable  ?  If  I  had  pressed  on  my  friend 
last  evening  his  eternal  interests,  it  might  have  been 
thought  unseasonable,  but  how  seasonable  it  would  ap- 
pear now,  when,  alas  !  it  is  too  late."  And  how  often, 
hkewise,  have  we  all  lost  precious  opportunities  by  false 
modesty,  sinful  delicacy,  or  careless  indifference,  and 
often,  when  God  has  set  before  us  an  open  door  of 
usefulness,  we  have  failed  to  enter  in  till  too  late. 

In  holiness  and   consistency  of  conversation   and  de- 


Humiliation  for  Sin  a  Duty.  49 

meanor,  too,  before  our  people,  and  before  the  world, 
we  have  much  for  which  to  be  humbled.  How  unlike 
Jesus,  our  Master,  have  we  been  as  we  have  mingled 
with  society,  and  entered  into  the  enjoyments  of  social 
life  !  How  unlike  him  whose  language  never  once  bor- 
dered on  levity,  who  never  uttered  a  jest,  whose  whole 
bearing  was  ever  in  keeping  with  his  mission,  and  every 
scrap  of  whose  conversation,  however  casual,  embodied 
some  glorious  thought,  or  had  some  spiritual  aim,  and 
lefty  moral,  and  in  whose  whole  recorded  life  you  can- 
not find  one  element  low,  trifling  or  carnal,  but  all  pure, 
grand  and  ennobling  !  In  all  these  and  in  many  other 
respects,  fathers  and  brethren,  may  we  not  realize  a 
sense  of  sin  as  we  confess  "  we  have  sinned  with  our 
fathers  ?" 

In  the  same  way,  may  not  ruling  elders  feel  that  con- 
nected with  the  manner  in  which  the  duties  of  their 
office  have  often  been  performed,  there  is  much  for 
which  to  be  humbled  ?  Paul  says  of  elders  in  relation  to 
Christ's  flock  :  "Over  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made 
you  overseers,"  and  speaks  of  the  performance  of  their 
duty  thus,  "  for  they  watch  for  your  souls  as  they  who 
must  give  an  account."  Yet,  alas  !  what  oversight ; 
what  watching,  in  many  cases,  has  there  been  ?  What 
account  can  many  of  our  elders  render  of  the  spiritual 
state  of  the  flock  ?  How  often  elders  cannot  tell  whether 
those  committed  to  their  care  have  been  in  the  pasture 
at  all,  or  in  attendance  upon  ordinances  !  Perhaps 
they  have  not  been  in  attendance  themselves,  or  have  not 
had  a  sufficient  sense  of  their  responsibility  to  Christ,  to 
look  after  his  sheep.      How  (qw  elders  make  conscience 


50  Memorial  Volume. 

of  statedly  visiting  those  under  their  charge,  to  inquire 
into  their  spiritual  condition,  to  press  upon  them  the 
claims  of  religion,  to  deal  with  the  young,  to  quicken 
the  careless,  to  encourage  the  weak  and  timid,  and  really 
to  do  the  duty  of  their  office  !  Many,  you  would  im- 
agine, regard  the  office  of  ruling  elder  in  the  church 
rather  as  a  sort  of  honorary  distinction,  or  ornamental 
appendage,  than  a  vital  element,  having  vital  and  highly 
important  functions  to  fulfil,  in  the  spiritual  body.  Nor 
should  elders  in  their  confession  forget  how  frequently 
the  spirit  of  emulation,  wrath  and  strife  has  been  at 
work,  and  how  they  have  often  been  "  carnal,  and  walked 
as  men,"  and  how  these  things  have,  through  their 
bickerings,  marred  the  peace  of  the  church,  hampered  the 
pastor  in  his  work,  and  kept  back  efforts  to  do  good. 
Instead  of  sustaining  their  pastor,  elders  sometimes  have 
discouraged  his  heart,  and  when,  perhaps,  burdened  and 
tempted,  he  has  come  to  his  public  work,  have  met  him, 
not  with  the  soothing  anodyne,  but  the  corrosive  caustic, 
and  by  bitter  strife  or  hostile  criticism,  have  marred, 
rather  than  promoted  the  success  of  his  labors.  More- 
over, with  means,  talents,  and  time,  and  every  facility 
for  doing  good,  how  many  elders  seem  never  to  have  com- 
prehended that  there  is  any  obligation  upon  them  to 
attempt  any  evangelical  labor  in  the  world,  or  that 
Christian  usefulness  is  among  the  responsibilities  of  their 
office  ! 

And  have  not  both  ministers  and  elders  much  sin  to 
confess  in  connection  with  the  manner  in  which  the 
work  of  the  Lord  has  been  conducted  in  church  courts  ? 
How  often   have   they  imported  into   the  courts  of  the 


Humiliation'  for  Sin  a  Duty.  51 

Lord's  house  their  own  quarrels  and  disputes,  their  likes 
and  dislikes,  and  by  party  spirit  and  faction  made,  what 
would  otherwise  have  been,  according  to  promise,  a 
"  quiet  habitation,"  a  sort  of  bear-garden,  where  men 
have  fought  in  personal  encounters,  or  in  organized  parties 
sought  to  achieve  miserable  victories,  as  if  they  had  been 
foes  !  One  would  suppose  that  in  a  church  such  as  ours, 
with  a  creed  so  explicit,  and  discipline  and  order  so  w^ell 
defined,  it  would  be  almost  impossible  for  much  differ- 
ence of  opinion  to  exist,  or  disputes  to  arise.  But  the 
fact  is,  in  all  churches  where  they  have  existed,  these 
lamentable  strifes  have  invariably  originated  outside,  in 
some  misunderstanding  or  unkindly  feeling,  confined  per- 
haps at  first  to  a  few,  but  which,  like  the  snow-ball,  by  a 
little  rolling,  attains  to  dimensions  and  developes  into  a 
party,  and  then  some  technicality  or  shibboleth,  becomes 
an  ostensible  casus  belli^  and  church  courts  are  turned  into 
a  battle-field,  whilst  all  the  time  "  the  war  and  the  fight- 
ing come  from  the  lusts  that  war  in  the  members." 
How  sad  in  "  the  house  of  God,  which  is  the  church  of 
the  living  God,"  to  hear  such  expressions  as  frequently 
meet  us  in  reading  reports  of  ecclesiastical  proceedings, 
such  as,  "  our  side  of  the  house,"  and  "  your  side  of  the 
house  !"  "  those  acting  with  us,"  and  "  those  acting  with 
you!"  "our  party"  and  ''your  party^"  etc.,  suggesting 
the  question,  "  is  Christ  divided  ?"  And  sadder  still  that 
even  judicial  deliverances  and  decisions  have  sometimes 
been  the  result  of  personal  feeling,  or  of  maddened 
passions,  and  men  have  been  judging  after  the  lusts  of 
their  own  hearts,  when  using  the  great  and  dreadful 
name  of  the  church's  Head. 


52  Memorial  Volume. 

And,  perhaps,  it  may  not  be  out  of  place  here,  before 
many  of  the  members  of  the  church,  who  may  be  fol- 
lowing us  in  this  work,  to  say  to  them,  you  also  should 
endeavor  to  feel  that  you  are  not  without  sin  that  should 
be  remembered  in  the  confessions  uttered  to  day.  One 
aspect  alone,  however,  we  would  notice,  of  the  sin  of 
our  members  calling  for  humiliation,  viz.,  wherein  they 
may  have  failed  fully  and  consistently  to  maintain  their 
position  as  members  in  the  Reformed  Presbyterian 
Church.  We  are  aware  that  generally  our  members  have 
a  very  high  idea  of  the  superior  excellency  of  our  posi- 
tion, and  are  delighted  to  hear  it,  in  public,  defined  and 
defended.  They  like,  they  ofcen  say,  to  hear  our  minis- 
ters always  preach  like  Covenanters,  and  not  fail  to  let 
the  world  know  who  we  are  and  what  we  are.  A  little 
testimony-bearing  in  fact.  Well,  sympathizing  deeply 
with  such  a  feeling,  we  would  only  ask  our  members. 
Have  you  been  practically  carrying  out  the  principle? 

In  the  first  place,  have  you  been  living  your  testi- 
mony ?  Is  your  life  a  testimony  ?  It  has  been  said  truly 
that  men  will  argue,  and  dispute,  and  fight,  and  die  for 
religion,  and  do  every  thing  but  live  for  it.  Again,  have 
you,  according  to  your  means  and  opportunities,  been 
sustaining  the  church,  and  co-operating  with  her,  as  you 
should,  in  her  efforts  to  diffuse  and  extend  the  principles 
of  her  testimony  ?  Again,  have  you  been  acting  to- 
ward your  fellow  members  as  companions  and  brethren 
in  tribulation  and  in  the  testimony  of  Jesus  Christ  .?  The 
want  of  the  spirit  of  brotherly  kindness  and  charity,  is 
one  of  the  most  glaring  defects  in  our  covenanted  Zion. 
How  little  warmth  of  affection,  care  for  each  other,  in- 


Humiliation  for  Sin  a  Duty.  53 

terest  in  each  others  welfare,  and  readiness  to  make  sac- 
rifices for  each  other,  do  we  manifest,  though  John 
declares  we  ought  "to  lay  down  our  lives  for  the 
brethren  !"  With  all  our  professions  we  fall  immeasura- 
bly short  in  brotherly  kindness,  affection  for  each  other, 
mutual  forbearance  and  a  forgiving  spirit,  and  readiness 
to  assist  and  relieve  each  other,  of  the  attainments  in 
many  religious  communities  with  a  less  orthodox  creed 
than  our  own.  And  again,  how  is  your  testimony 
brought  to  bear  upon  your  families?  Are  your  children 
trained  in  our  principles  and  usages  ?  Are  they  ac- 
quainted with  our  standards  and  familiar  with  our  liter- 
ature, or  do  they  know  Tennyson  and  Longfellow  better 
than  the  Confession  and  Testimony,  and  the  contents  of 
the  last  sensation  in  the  world  of  fiction  better  than  the 
"Scots  Worthies"  and  the  "Cloud  of  Witnesses?" 
In  how  many  such  practical  inconsistencies  may  we  all 
find  enough  for  which  to  be  humbled  ! 

3.  The  confession  regards  sin  as  aggravated  by  having 
been  committed  "  with  our  fathers." 

Into  the  economic  arrangement,  originally  made  for 
the  government  of  the  human  family,  the  principle  of 
representative  responsibility  largely  entered.  Adam,  the 
natural  head  of  the  race,  was  constituted  its  representa- 
tive head,  and  hence  not  only  made  responsible  to  God 
for  the  good  behavior  of  all  his  descendants,  but  these 
descendants  were  made  liable  to  suffer  for  any  error  or 
mistake  he  might  commit  as  their  representative  governor. 
This  principle  underlies  all  governrnent.  It  is  recognized 
everywhere  as  just — the  ruler  responsible  for  the  be- 
havior of  his  subjects,  and  the   subjects  liable   to  suffer 

5 


54  Memorial  Volume. 

for  the  mistakes  and  governmental  errors  of  the  ruler. 
It  follows  of  course  that  all  Adam's  descendants  would 
thus  have  been  responsible  to  him,  not  only  in  their  indi- 
vidual capacity,  but  in  all  the  relations  and  connections 
they  might  form,  all  of  which,  whether  natural  or  con- 
tracted, he  would  have  made  subservient  to  the  ends  of 
his  government.  When  Adam's  failure  involved  the 
race  in  guilt  and  misery,  it  pleased  God  to  renew  the  same 
form  of  government  over  men,  on  the  same  principle,  in 
the  "  last  Adam,"  so  that  the  whole  human  family  is  now 
"  under  the  law  to  Christ."  This  was  shadowed  forth 
in  the  theocracy  established  in  Israel.  The  supreme 
rule  was  God's.  A  divinely  appointed  judge  or  ruler 
was  to  represent  God,  to  whom  the  tribes  were  under 
law  as  to  God's  representative,  whilst  in  the  arrangement 
of  tribes,  families,  rulers  of  thousands,  of  hundreds,  and 
of  tens,  all  responsible  to  the  judge,  the  system  was 
graded  so  as  to  reach  the  humblest  member  of  the  com- 
monwealth. Under  Christ's  government,  therefore,  as 
well  as  under  Adam's,  representative  responsibility  in- 
cludes natural  representation,  the  result  of  natural 
relation.  Hence  parents  are  responsible  for  the  education 
and  moral  training  of  their  children,  and  one  generation 
covenants,  contracts,  and  acts  representatively  for  the 
generations  following,  whilst  remote  generations  enjoy 
the  fruits  of  their  ancestors'  obedience,  are  credited  with 
their  well-doing,  or  punished  for  their  transgressions. 
Thus  Abraham  covenanted  for  posterity  ;  Israel,  at  Sinai, 
engaged  for  following  generations  ;  Levi  was  credited 
with  tithes  paid  by  Abraham,  and  the  generation  in  our 
Lord's  day  made  to  suffer  for  the  blood  shed   by  many 


Humiliation  for  Sin  a  Duty.  55 

preceding  generations.  Besides,  the  government  of  the 
second  Adam  being  not  only  over  individuals,  but  over 
corporate  bodies,  as  churches  and  nations,  which  have  a 
continuous  identity  from  age  to  age,  notwithstanding  the 
changes  going  on  continually  in  their  constituent  ele- 
ments, he  may  deal  with  such  bodies  at  any  one  period, 
for  all  time  past  or  all  time  to  come.  Hence  such  cor- 
porate entities  are  often  spoken  of  not  by  the  historic 
they  of  the  past,  but  the  we  of  continuous  present  being, 
and  what  has  occurred  in  the  past  or  shall  occur  in  the 
future  is  thus  identified  with  their  whole  existence.  Thus 
in  Psalm  66,  the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea  is  connected 
with  the  generation  in  the  time  of  David.  "  There  did 
we  rejoice  in  him.'*  So  Hosea  says  of  the  transaction 
with  Jacob  in  Bethel  that  it  was  a  dealing  with  the  race. 
''  He  found  him  in  Bethel,  and  there  he  spake  with 
«.f,"  12:4.  And  Paul,  though  he  knew  that  "the 
day  of  the  Lord  was  not  at  hand,"  connects  it  with  his  , 
own  generation,  '''- we  which  are  alive  and  remain  unto 
the  coming  of  the  Lord.'' 

It  is  easy  to  see  on  this  principle,  how  the  obligation 
of  moral  covenants  descends  on  posterity,  and  how 
breaches  of  covenant  may  be  visited  on  generations 
following.  Also  that  when  our  fathers'  sins  are  approved 
and  copied,  their  mistakes  perpetuated,  and  their  courses 
of  defection  approved  and  followed,  it  is  a  righteous 
thing  for  God  to  "  visit  the  iniquity  of  the  fathers  upon 
the  children."  To  have  sinned  with  our  fathers,  then, 
increases  our  danger,  renders  sin  thus  perpetuated  more 
difficult  to  break  off,  and  intensifies  the  influence  of  our 
example   for  evil   on    posterity,  and   is   such  a  frightful 


56  Memorial  Volume. 

aggravation  of  our  own  sin^  that  we  should  seek  repent- 
ance for  it  to-day  in  the  sight  of  God, 

II.   Our  adopting  the  confession  practically  implies, 

1.  The  judging  of  ourselves  before  God  that  we  may 
not  be  judged.  When  Daniel  sought  mercy  from  God 
in  Israel's  restoration,  and  Nehemiah  led  the  returned 
captives  to  renew  their  relationship  to  God,  both  made 
historical  confession  of  sin.  "  O  Lord,  to  us  belongeth 
confusion  of  face,  to  our  kings,  to  our  princes,  and  to 
our  fathers,  because  we  have  sinned  against  thee."  Such 
a  confession  is  intended,  as  it  were,  to  take  home  judg- 
ment to  ourselves,  that  divine  judgments  may  be  stayed 
from  off  the  penitent,  and  is  the  only  way  of  realizing 
the  language  of  Phinehas,  "  Now  ve  have  delivered  the 
children  of  Israel  out  of  the  hand  of  the  Lord."  "  For 
if  we  would  judge  ourselves,  we  should  not  be  judged." 

2.  Such  confession  vindicates  the  character  and   gov- 
I   ernment   of  God  in  exercising  toward  us  his   clemency 

and  grace.  In  it  we  take  home  to  ourselves  the  whole 
blame  of  sin  and  its  consequent  misery,  saying,  *'  But 
thou  art  holy,  O  thou  that  inhabitest  the  praises  of  Is- 
rael." 

3.  Such  confession,  apprehending  the  provisions  of 
the  covenant  of  grace  and  realizing  pardon,  gives  bold- 
ness in  claiming  all  the  benefits  of  renewed  relationship 
to  God.  God,  for  sin,  "  drove  out  the  man,"  and  placed 
a  minister  of  justice  and  a  sword  of  justice,  as  emblems 
that  he  could  not  return  to  God  and  life  by  the  broken 
covenant  of  works.  That  sword  being  now  quenched 
in  the  blood  of  our  surety,  we  know  that  "  if  we  con- 
fess our  sins  he  is  faithful  and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins, 


Humiliation  for  Sin  a  Duty.  57 

and   to  cleanse    us  from   all  unrighteousness."     There 
fore  "  we  have  access  with  boldness  into  this  grace  where- 
in we  stand  and  rejoice  in  the  hope  of  the  glory  of  God." 
4.   Such  confession  promotes  a  suitable  frame  in  which 
to  covenant  with  God.    In  the  new  covenant  into  which 
God   promises   to   take   us,   Heb.    8  :  10-12,  there    are 
four  elements  :   the   law  put  into  our  hearts,  the  subject 
matter  of  the   covenant  ;    a   new    relation    to    God,    its 
privilege  ;   knowledge,  its  frame  ;  and  a  proviso  of  par- 
don, our  security  for  the  future.      Now   our   confession 
has  a  bearing  on  each    of  these.      It  works   a    frame   of 
humility  and   dependence   so   that  we  accept   all  of  free 
grace.      It  owns  and  accepts  the  law  and  truth  of  God  as 
holy  and  good,  and   conforms  us  thereto.      It  renounces 
our  connection  with  the  covenant  of  works  and  accepts 
God  in  the  better  covenant.     It  teaches  the  true  view  to 
take    of  God  and  ourselves    in   the  transaction,  and  it 
apprehends  God   as  a   contracting    party,   as    one    with 
whom  "  there  is  forgiveness,"  thus    preventing    us  from 
attempting  to  frame  anew  with  God,  as  many  do,  a  cov- 
enant of  works,  but,  rejoicing  in  the  ample  security  we 
have  in  God's  covenant  for  the  future,  it  brings   home  to 
us,  in  all  its  comfort,  his  own  divine  assurance,  "For  the 
mountains  shall  depart  and  the  hills  be  removed  ;  but  my 
kindness  shall   not   depart  from  thee,  neither  shall   the 
covenant  of  my  peace  be  removed,  saith  the  Lord  that 
hath  mercy  on  thee." 

5* 


58 


COVENANTING,  AND   ITS    BENEFITS   TO 
THE  COVENANTERS. 

BY    REV.    A.    STEVENSON,    D.    D. 

Heb.  8  :  lo — "I  will  be  to   them  a  God,  and  they   shall  be  to  me  a 
people." 

Our  God  has  always  dealt  with  man  by  covenant, 
evidencing  on  his  part  great  condescension.  He  might 
have  acted  as  an  absolute  sovereign.  Original  y,  man 
could  approach  his  Maker  in  person ;  but  when  sin 
entered  a  mediator  became  necessarv,  and  Jesus,  the 
eternal  Son  of  God,  was  divinely  appointed.  To  him 
reference  is  made  in  the  context.  Two  covenants  are 
mentioned  by  the  apostle ;  the  first  is  the  covenant 
made  between  God  and  Israel  at  Sinai.  It  was  just  and 
holy,  wisely  adapted  to  the  age  and  necessity  of  the 
church,  though  not  designed  to  bring  her  to  perfection. 
It  was  conditional,  Isa.  i  :  19,  20.  The  Israelites  failed, 
and  the  covenant  passed  away.  The  second  or  new 
covenant  is  the  covenant  of  grace,  as  revealed  in  the 
gospel  and  solemnly  confirmed  by  the  dying  of  Jesus,  its 
mediator.  It  is  unconditional,  or  rather,  all  its  condi- 
tions are  fulfilled  by  its  surety.  It  makes  provision  for 
its  own  perpetuity,  God  promising  to  write  his  law  in 
the  heart,  and  make  It  effectual.  Especially  "  He  (Je- 
hovah) will  be  a  God  to  us  " — all  that  is  excellent, 
desirable, or  necessary  to  make  us  holy  and  happy  forever; 
and  he  will  make  us  his  peculiar  people,  willing  to  swear 
allegiance  to  him,  and  love,  trust  and  serve  him   forever. 


COVENANTIN'G ITS    BENEFITS.  59 

Such  are  the  promises  made,  and  such  the  wondrous  priv- 
ileges conferred  upon  those  who  to-day,  in  faith,  take 
hold  of  this  precious  covenant.      We  will  consider  : 

I.  The  ordinance  of  covenanting. 

II.  The  manner  and  spirit  in  which  the  service  should 
be  rendered. 

III.  The  benefits  to  be  expected  from  a  right  perform- 
ance of  the  duty. 

I,  J.  It  is  personal.  This  is  the  first  and  essential 
step  in  acceptable  covenanting;.  We  must  give  ourselves 
unloJJieuXiOrd,  before  we  join  in  covenant  by  the  will  of 
God.  It  would  be  a  profanation  of  the  ordinance  to 
unite  with  others  in  the  covenant,  while  the  heart  is  en- 
mity against  God,  and  the  soul  still  in  rebellion.  The 
removal  of  this  enmitv  and  the  bring;ino;  of  the    sinner 

. . ^   J  . ■ o & ■ 

into  friendship  with  God  is  the  work  of  the  Spirit.  He 
begins  by  convincing  of  sin  and  of  its  penalty,  by 
awakening;  a  desire  to  escape  from  the  wrath  to  come, 
and  showing  the  poor  sinner  that  he  is  without  help  or 
hq£e_jri_himself.  He  then  reveals  the  Lord  Jesus  in  the 
glory  of  his  person,  as  an  Almighty  Saviour  divinely  ap- 
pointed, and  freely  orFered  in  the  gospel  to  all  who  accept 
him.  The  soul  is  by  the  Holy  Spirit  persuaded  to  ap- 
prove of  Christ  as  the  Saviour,  to  accept  him  as  offered, 
and  enabled  to  yield  itself  to  him  to  be  pardoned,  sanc- 
tified and  saved  on  the  terms  of  the  gospel,  promising 
to  love  and  serve  him  forever.  This  is  personal  cove- 
nanting, a  real  transaction.  Isa.  44  :  5,  ''  One_shall  say,  )< 
I  am  the  Lord's,  and  another  shall  call  himself  by  the 
name  of  Jacob  ;  and  another  shall  subscribe  with  his 
hand  unto  the  Lord,  and  surname  himself  by  the  name 
of  Israel." 


■^ 


t>o  Memorial  Volume. 

2.    It    is    social.      All    social    bodies    may    covenant, 
t-specially    is   this    the  duty   of  the    church    and    state. 
These   may  covenant  with   God  either  separately  or  to- 
gether, as  circumstances  may  indicate.      If  the  nation  be 
remiss,  the  church  must  not  neglect  her  duty  ;   she  is  a 
distinct   society.      To    her   the    command    is   addressed, 
"  He  is  thy  Lord,  and  worship  thou   him."      He  is  her 
husband  as  well  as  her  king,  and  she  should  engage  pub- 
licfyjQ   love_  and   sei've^  him.      This    she  does   by  social 
covenanting,  in   which   she   appears   as   a  community  of 
'the  faithful,  joined   together  in  one  body  and  one  spirit, 
claiming  the  Lord  to  be  their  God.      Confessing  all  re- 
veajed  truth,  rejecting  all  error  in  doctrine,  and   putting 
away  all  known  sin,  she  binds  herself,  in  the  strength  of 
promised   grace,   to    promote  the  glory   of  God   by  per- 
forming all  commanded  duty,  and  remaining  faithful  till 
the  ends  of  the  covenant  shall  have  been  attained. 
3.      The  ordinance  is  binding.      Both  parties  are  bound 
/by  the  obligation.      Without  this    the  transaction  would 
I   not    be  a   covenant.      P'or  a  covenant  is  an  agreement. 
/    "  I  will  be  to  them  a  God,  and  they  shall  be  to   me  a 
peogleT^     In    personal  covenanting  this  is  clearly   seen. 
The  aged  believer  acknowledges  the  obligations  of  the 
vows  of  early  youth.      He  confesses  that  he  is  as  much 
bound  now  as  in  the  day  of    his  first    covenanting    to 
deny  all  ungodliness  and  worldly  lusts,  and  to  live  sober- 
ly, righteously  and  godly  in  this  present  world.      He  re- 
joices, also,  in  the  thought  that  his  God  is  a  covenant- 
keeping  and  faithful  God.      In  the  exercise  of  faith,  he 
claims  the  fulfilment   of  promises  made,  and  he  expects 
that   ''  he  which  hath  begun  a  good  work  will  perform 


Covenanting — its  Benefits. 


6 1 


it  until  the  day  of  Jesus__Christ."  For  hath  he  not 
said,  "  He  is  our  God  forever  and  ever  ;  he  will  be  our 
guide  even  unto  death  ?" 

In  social  covenanting  the  truth  is  equally  plain.  The 
matter  of  the  covenant  being  moral  is  of  perpetual  obli- 
gation. The  church  never  dies.  When  the  object 
requires  generations  to  accomplish  it  the  obligations 
descend.  The  church  undergoes  continual  change  by 
the  reception  of  new  members,  but  the  covenant  binds 
every  element  which  enters  into  the  social  body.  In- 
deed, all  religious  covenants  recognize  posterity.  God 
takes  the  children  instead  of  the  fathers,  and  makes  them 
princes  in  all  the  earth.  "  I  am  thy  God  and  the  God  J^  K 
of  thv  seed  forever.''  As  long  as  the  duty  can  be  per- 
formed   the    obiisation    must    continue.       A    man    and' 


woman  enter  into  the  marriage  covenant.  They  be- 
come husband  and  wife.  The  vow  may  have  been 
taken  in  Britain  or  Holland.  They  come  to  America. 
The  obligation  of  the  marriage  vow  still  rests  upon  them. 
The  husband  is  as  much  bound  to  love  his  wife,  and  the 
wife  to  be  faithful  to  her  husband,  as  in  the  land  of  their 
nativity.  So^from  the  unity  ofthe  church,  the  vows 
into  which  she  enters  being  moral  and  scriptural  are  of 
perpetual  obligation,  until  their  ends  are  attained.  We 
are  as  much  bound  to  preserve  the  true  rejigion,  to 
prorncte  the  unity  of  the  church,  to  pjipii^s— ^ILialse 
reli^ns  and  immorality,  to  maintain  cjyil  and  religious 
liberty,  to  war  against  popery  and  prelacy,  anj_to_  pro- 
moj^e  each__other's  sanctification,  as  our  fathers  were  in 
their  day,  when,  either  in  Ireland  or  Scotland,  they  cov- 
enanted with  God  for  themselves  and   for  us.     In  our 


62  Memorial  Volume. 

covenanting  to-day,  we  hope  to  deepen  our  sense  of 
coienant  obligation,  to  derive  from  Christ  fullness  of 
grace  to  perform  our  vows  more  faithfully  in  the  future 
than  we  have  in  the  past,  and  to  obtain  a  larger  meas- 
ure than  we  have  heretofore  enjoyed  of  the  precious 
blessings  sealed  to  us  in  the  federal  deeds  of  our  fathers, 
the  National  Covenant  of  Scotland  and  the  Solemn 
League  and  Covenant  of  the  three  kinj^doms.  The  other 
party  is  equally  bound.  Cur  God  has  not  only  given  the 
promise,  he  has  sealed  it  with  his  oath.  Heb.  6  :  17,  18. 
As  the  covenant  with  Abraham  put  his  posterity  m  pos- 
session of  the  promised  land,  Deut.  1:8,  ^'  Behold,  I 
have  set  the  land  before  you;  go  in  and  possess  the  land 
which  the  Lord  sware  unto  your  fathers,  Abraham,  Isaac 
and  Jacob^o  give  unto  them  and  toj-heir  Rped  after 
thenr,"  so  shall  our  covenant  God  fulfil  to  us  and  our 
children  the  glorious  things  he  has  promised  his  church, 
under  this  dispensation. 

IL  I.  Forjf^h.  by  a  formal  act  of  covenanting. 
The  believer  virtually  covenants  in  the  very  act  of  re- 
ceiving Christ  by  faith.  He  submits  to  his  authority, 
and  promises  to  make  his  law  the  guide  of  his  life.  He 
does  not  stop  here  ;  he  goes  farther.  He  subscribes 
with  his  hand  to  the  Lord,  Isa.  44  :  5.  Having  realized 
his  need  of  a  saviour,  and  accepted  the  Lord  Jesus  as 
offered,  he  examines  the  whole  matter.  He  writes  out 
his  reasons  for  the  necessity  of  a  saviour,  his  right  to 
take  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  purpose  for  which  he  has  ac- 
cepted him,  on  what  terms  and  to  what  extent  he  has 
given  himself  to  love  and  serve  the  Redeemer.  He  does 
this    in    secret,  and   comes  to  the    communion  table  to 


Covenanting — its  Benefits.  63 

have  it  sealed  ;  which  being  done,  he  is  formally  in  cov- 
enant with  God,  and  may  safely  say,  ^'Thy  vows  are 
upon  me."  The  language  of  the  Psalmist  in  referring 
to  personal  covenanting  is  express,  and  his  example 
authoritative.  Ps.  119:  106;  "I  have  sworn  and  I  wil 
perform  it,  that  I  will  keep  thy  righteous  judgments." 
With  what  confidence  he  speaks  of  acceptance  :  ''He 
hath  made  with  me  an  everlasting  covenant." 

In  social  covenanting,  :.lso,  there  must  be  a  formal  act. 
In  no  other  way  can  the  church,  as  a  visible  society, 
properly  and  explicitly  profess  subjection  to  her  glorious 
Head.  History  illustrates  this  by  the  covenants  in  the 
days  of  Moses,  of  Asa,  and  of  Nehemiah,  and  of  our 
fathers  in  Scotland.  A  covenant  bond  is  prepared  and 
approved.  The  church  then  acts  first  in  her  representa- 
tive capacity.  The  members  of  the  supreme  judicatory 
swear  and  subscribe  to  the  covenant.  It  is  afterwards 
transmitted  to  the  various  congregations  of  which  the 
church  is  composed,  to  be  bv  them  sworn  to  and  sub- 
scribed in  a  manner  orderly  and  becoming  the  sacred 
ordinance.  The  act  of  subscribing  is  necessary.  For 
this  we]  have  both  history  and  prophecy,  Neh.  9  :  38  ; 
Isa.  44.:  5.  When  this  has  been  done,  the  work  is  com- 
plete and  the  church  is  a  formally  covenanted  body. 

2.  Sincerely.  God  loves  truth.  In  every  service  he  re- 
quires the  heart.  To  be  sincere  we  must  be  intelligent., 
for  covenanting  is  a  reasonable  service.  There  m.ust  be 
a  knowledge  of  God  in  his  being  and  character,  Heb. 
r  I  :  6  ;  knowledge  of  the  truth  we  swear  to  maintain, 
the  errors  we  abjure,  the  sins  we  confess,  and  the  du- 
ties we  engage  to  perform  \    knowledge  of  the  ordinance 


64  Memorial  Volume. 

of  covenanting  irself  and  of  the  word  of  God  as  the  only 
standard  and  test  of  all  doctrine  and  duty.  Lack  of  in- 
telligence in  personal  covenanting  lies  at  the  foundation  of 
much  of  the  feebleness  of  piety,  and  che  distressing  back- 
sliding, so  common  in  the  church  to-day.  The  same 
cause  has  acted  powerfully  against  social  covenanting. 
In  times  of  great  interest  many  ignorantly  entered  into 
the  oath.  The  excitement  ceased  and  they  returned 
to  folly.  Their  goodness  was  as  the  morning  cloud, 
and  as  the  early  dew  it  passed  away.  As  God  loves 
truth,  we  must  draw  near  with  a  true  heart  as  well  as 
with  an  intelligent  mind,  so  that  we  can,  like  our  fathers, 
appeal  to  Almighty  God  that  we  enter  into  this  covenant 
with  a  true  intention  of  keeping  the  same,  and  not  like 
Israel  of  old,  who  flattered  him  with  their  mouth,  and  lied 
unto  him  with  their  tongues  ;  for  their  heart  was  not 
right  with  him,  neither  were  they  steadfast  in  his  cov- 
enant.     Ps.  78  :  36,  37. 

3.  ^Vith  joyful  solemnity.  Two  thoughts  are  here 
thrown  together.  They  are  not  incompatible,  Ps.  2: 
II.  He  with  whom  we  have  to  deal  is  of  terrible  ma- 
jesty, and  infinite  purity,  Ex.  15:  11  j  Lev.  10:3.  If  it 
was  necessary  for  Moses  and  Joshua  to  put  their  shoes 
from  off  their  feet,  because  the  ground  whereon  they 
stood  was  by  the  presence  of  the  Lord  made  holy,  how 
much  more  should  our  thoughts  be  collected,  our  affec- 
tions spiritualized,  and  our  minds  solemnized  when  we 
stand  to  covenant  with  him  ?  We  need  a  mediator  in  order 
to  approach  him,  as  we  are  totally  unworthy  in  ourselves 
even  to  name  his  name,,  and  unable  to  perform  the  duties 
of  the  oath.   We  need  the  aid  of  his  Spirit  to  enable  us  to 


Covenanting — its  Benefits.  65 

take  hold  of  the  blessings  of  the  covenant  for  ourselves, 
our  children  and  our  children's  children  ;  a  vast  multitude 
with  whom  our  God  condescends  to  enter  into  covenant 
as  with  us  to-day.  We  should  remember  the  awful  con- 
sequence of  covenant-breaking  to  us  and  our  posterity. 
Yet  notwithstanding  all  this,  we  should  come  with  joy. 
A  mediator  is  provided,  in  whom  we  can  approach  God 
with  acceptance,  be  received  into  his  family  and  enriched 
with  all  the  covenant  blessings.  Covenanting  is  always 
a  season  of  joy.  In  Asa's  time,  "  all  Judah  rejoiced  at 
the  oath,"  2  Chron.  15:  15.  So  in  the  case  of  the  cap- 
tives from  Babylon.  So  in  Rev.  19:  7.  With  joy  did 
our  fathers  in  Scotland  in  1638  renew  the  grand  charter 
of  their  civil  and  ecclesiastical  duties  and  rights,  the  Na- 
tional Covenant.  "  Thousands  lifted  up  their  hands  and 
hearts  to  God,  so  intensely  influenced  by  the  Holy  Spir- 
it, that  their  emotions  became  irrepressible.  Some  wept 
aloud  ;  some  burst  into  a  shout  of  exultation  ;  some 
added  after  their  names  '  till  death.'  "  (Hetherington.) 
"  All  subscribed  with  joy.  It  was  a  day  wherein  the 
arm  of  the  Lord  was  revealed  ;  a  day  wherein  the  prin- 
ces of  the  people  were  assembled  willingly,  to  swear  alle- 
giance to  the  great  King,  whose  name  is  the  Lord  of 
Hosts  ;  it  was  a  day  of  the  Redeemer's  power,  wherein 
his  volunteers  flowed  unto  him  ;  it  was  the  day  wherein 
his  youth  was  like  the  dew  from  the  womb  of  the  morn- 
ing ;  a  day  of  joy  and  gladness,  when  they  stood  again 
a  people  in  covenant  with  God."    (Stevenson.) 

III.  I.  A  revival  of  true  godliness  among  us.  We 
have  reason  to  rejoice  that  our  covenant  God  has  gra- 
ciously   preserved   us   from   gross    violation   of  his  law, 


66  Memorial  Volume. 

and  enabled  us  in  some  measure  to  observe  the  forms 
of  religion.  Yet  alas  !  there  are  little  heart  in  our  de- 
votion and  little  self  denial  in  our  life.  Covenanting 
is  the  divinely  appointed  remedy  for  this,  Jas.  4:8. 
"  Draw  nigh  to  God,  and  he  will  draw  nigh  to  you." 
Every  act  in  our  solemn  work — our  searching  out  of  sin, 
our  sincere  repentance,  and  honest  confession  to  God — 
tends  to  revive  our  graces  and  enables  us  to  run  in  the 
way  of  God's  commandments.  The  believing  application 
to  the  blood  of  the  atonement  for  pardon  and  purification, 
with  the  assurance  that  there  is  for  us,  not  only  forgive- 
ness, but  eternal  life  through  Jesus  ;  the  renewed  dedi- 
cation of  ourselves,  soul  and  body,  time,  influence  and 
acquisitions  to  the  Redeemer,  with  the  unfeigned  purpose 
that  let  others  do  as  they  will,  we  will  serve  him,  will 
hasten  a  great  reformation.  History  shows,  that  a  true 
revival  is  the  fruit  of  honest  covenanting.  See  in  the 
case  of  Joshua,  of  Asa,  2  Chron.  15  :  18;  of  Jehoi- 
ada,  2  Kings,  11  :  17,  18;  of  Hezekiah,  2  Chron. 
31  :  2,  and  in  the  covenanting  times  of  our  fathers  in 
Scotland.  "  Plentiful  showers  descended  to  water  the 
Lord's  weary  heritage.  The  Lord  did  let  forth  much 
of  his  spirit  on  his  people,  when  the  nation  did  solemnly 
covenant  in  1638.  Many  yet  alive  do  know  how  their 
hearts  were  wrought  upon  by  the  word.  The  ordinan- 
ces were  lively  and  longed  after.  Then  did  the  nation 
own  the  Lord  and  was  owned  of  him.  Much  zeal  and 
an  enlarged  heart  did  appear  for  the  public  cause.  Per- 
sonal reformation  was  seriously  set  about,  and  there  was 
a  remarkable  gale  of  providence  attending  the  actings  of 
his  people,  which  did  astonish  their  adversaries,  and  forced 


Covenanting — its  Benefits.  67 

many  of  them  to  feign  subjection."  (Fleming.)  And  we 
know  that  it  was  followed  by  the  reforming  assembly, 
the  deposition  of  the  bishops,  the  spiritual  independence 
of  the  church,  the  restoration  of  a  faithful  ministry,  the 
enfeebling  of  adversaries,  and  the  triumphs  ot  the  Second 
Reformation.  Our  God  is  faithful.  His  promise  in  con- 
nection with  covenanting  stands.  "I  will  pour  water  upon 
him  that  is  thirsty,  and  floods  upon  the  dry  ground.  I 
will  pour  my  spirit  upon  thy  seed,  and  my  blessing  upon 
thine  offspring  ;  and  they  shall  spring  up  as  among  the 
grass,  as  willows  by  the  water  courses." 

2.   Increasing  unity.      Covenanting  is  a  happy   mode  of 
binding  up  the  testimony  when  it   is  in  danger  of  being 
rent   by  schism.      At  present,  we  are  sorely  tried.      We 
have  educational  and  local  prejudices.      We  are  separated 
from  each  other  in  our  fields  of  labor,  with   few  oppor- 
tunities of  cultivating  friendships  or  brotherly  confidence. 
We  are   powerfully  influenced   by  political    movements 
and  social  benevolent  organizations.   The  great  questions 
which  agitate  society,  and  arrange  on  different  sides  the 
mightiest   minds   of  the   age,   cannot   be   ignored  by  us. 
We  are  far  removed  from  the  lands  where  for  "  Christ's 
crown    and    covenant  "    Covenanters  shed  their   blood. 
The  traditionary   faith  of  our  fathers  is  losing  its  hold, 
and  the  sense  of  covenant  obligation  becoming  enfeebled. 
These  and   other  causes  are  tending   silently  yet  power- 
fully to  weaken  the  unity  of  the  Spirit,  and,  if  we  are  in 
heart,  in  mouth  and  in  act  to  remain  one  people,  we  must 
seek  the  God  of  our  fathers  in   the  ordinance   of  cove- 
nanting, as  well  as  in  the  other  institutions  of  his  grace. 
Our    covenanting    will    clearly  exhibit  our  testimony.,  in- 


68  Memorial  Volume. 

crease  brotherly  love  and  inspire  luith  confidence.  All  are 
brethren.  All  profess  the  same  truth,  agree  to  do  the 
same  work,  are  exposed  to  the  same  enemies,  ami  ex- 
pect the  same  reward.  When  all  are  sworn  to  stand  by 
each  other  in  the  holy  covenant  jealousies  will  cease  ; 
evil  surmisings  will  not  be  tolerated  ;  every  man,  hav- 
ing lifted  up  bis  hand  to  the  Lord,  will  be  helpful  to  his 
brother  in  the  great  conflict.  This  is  the  history  of 
covenanting,  whether  in  Judea  or  the  valleys  of  the 
Alps — in  Smalkald  or  Scotland. 

3.  Strength  for  work  and  warfare.  Union  is  strength. 
"  A  three-fold  cord  is  not  easily  broken."  There  is 
much  to  be  done  in  our  households.  We  need  strength 
for  the  work.  The  opposition  to  family  godliness  is  very 
great,  arising  from  the  prevalence  of  infidelity,  the  in- 
subordinate spirit  of  the  age,  and  the  almost  universal 
neglect  of  the  fifth  commandment.  In  the  church  we 
are  to  labor  according  to  our  power,  for  the  reviving  of 
true  religion,  the  gathering  into  one  the  divided  and 
scattered  friends  of  truth,  the  removing  of  whatever  is 
contrary  to  godliness,  that  the  church  may  be  beautified 
with  universal  conformity  to  the  law  of  her  divine  Head 
and  Lord.  But  our  greatest  work  is  in  the  n  ition.  Its 
condition  is  truly  lamentable;  without  God,  without 
a  Mediator,  without  an  infallible  rule  of  legislation ; 
with  the  administration  in  the  hands  of  the  enemies  of 
Christ,  and  the  honors  and  emoluments  of  the  govern- 
ment, in  large  measure,  bestowed  upon  the  openly 
avowed  servants  of  the  devil.  Yet  the  churches  seem 
satisfied  ;  nearly  every  mouth  is  silent,  and  all  are  incor- 
porated with  the  nation,  in  the  grandest  rebellion  against 


Covenanting — its  Benefits.  69 

her  mediatorial  King,  in  which  the  sons  of  men  have 
ever  engaged.  Yet,  to-day,  we  take  possession  of  the 
land  for  our  King,  and  pledge  ourselves  that  in  his  strength 
we  will  labor  to  brins;  this  nation  into  covenant  with  him. 
The  work  is  great,  the  warfare  terrible,  but  victory  is 
certain.  He  will  reign  till  all  his  enemies  are  put  down. 
Could  this  or  any  other  nation  successfully  resist  him 
he  would  be  unworthy  of  our  confidence;  his  cove- 
nant would  fail,  and  the  gates  of  hell  would  triumph. 
This  is  impossible.  "  The  Lamb  shall  overcome."  The 
nation  suffered  much  before  it  yielded  to  humanity  its 
rights.  It  shut  its  ears  tc  the  cry  of  the  oppressed.  Our 
covenant  God  pleaded  the  cause  of  the  down-trodden.  In 
the  furnace  of  national  affliction  he  melted  the  chains  of 
the  enslaved,  and  by  tears,  suffering  and  blood  secured 
the  rights  of  man.  Greater  far  will  be  the  suffering  ere 
the  claims  of  Jesus  will  be  acknowledged.  There  shall 
be  a  time  of  trouble,  such  as  never  was  since  man  was 
upon  the  earth,  till  that  same  time.  Dan,  12:1.  This 
warfare  is  upon  us,  and  covenanting  is  a  means  of  strength, 
as  it  gives  unity  in  the  service,  encourages  to  steadfastness, 
gives  assurance  of  victory,  ''  The  Lord  of  Hosts  is  with 
us,"  and  especially  as  it  secures  personal  dedication. 
The  soldier,  who  has  taken  the  army  oath,  whose  soul  is 
inspired  with  lofty  patriotism,  and  whose  heart  is  filled 
with  love  for  his  commander,  presses  forward  unmoved 
by  difficulty  or  danger.  So  we  having  sworn  to  the  Lord, 
enlisted  under  the  Captain  of  our  salvation,  should  be 
steadfast,  immovable,  always  abounding  In  the  work  of 
the  Lord,  for  as  much  as  we  know  that  our  labor  shall 
not  be  in  vain  in  the  Lord. 

6* 


70  Memorial   Volume. 


4.  Our  Godwin  be  glorified.  This  is  the  highest  motive 
which  can  influence  either  the  believer  or  the  church. 
I  Cor.  10  :  31,  "  Whether  therefore  ye  eat,  or  drink,  or 
whatsoever  ye  do,  do  all  to  the  glory  of  God."  He  will 
be  glorified  by  our  attending  upon  and  honoring  a  long 
neglected  and  almost  forgotten  ordinance  in  the  church, 
by  all  the  actings  of  grace  in  connection  with  this  ser- 
vice, bv  our  standino;  before  men  and  ano-els  as  the 
servants  of  the  great  King,  not  ashamed  to  own  him, 
and  promising  that  in  the  face  of  a  corrupt  public  opinion, 
in  the  face  of  all  opposition,  we  will  maintain  the  rights 
of  his  crown,  and  make  his  law  the  rule  of  our  conduct. 
He  will  be  glorified  by  our  bringing  before  the  mind  of 
the  evangelical  church  in  this  land  the  great,  yet  neglected 
truths  of  the  universal  headship  of  Christ,  the  supremacy 
of  his  law,  the  unity  of  the  church,  and  the  duty  of 
men  of  every  rank  to  submit  to  him  whom  the  Father 
delighteth  to  honor.  He  will  be  glorified  by  our  oneness 
in  doctrine,  our  harmony  in  counsel,  our  unity  in 
action,  and  our  communion  in  the  truth  and  ordinances 
to-day.  For  this  the  Redeemer  has  long  prayed,  "  That 
they  all  may  be  one  ;  as  thou.  Father,  art  in  me,  and  I  in 
thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us  :  that  the  world  may 
believe  that  thou  has  sent  me."  This  is  the  beginning  of 
his  triumphs  among  us,  and  God  is  glorified. 

Conclusion. 

T.  Fathers  and  Brethren:  Remember  that  personal 
covenanting  is  the  grand  preparation  for  this  ordinance. 
We  can  be  accepted  only  in  the  Beloved. 

2.  We  should  bless  the  God  of  Israel  for  his  won' 
drous  loving-kindness  in  dealing  with  us.      By  nature  we 


Covenanting — its  Benefits.  71 

are  the  children  of  wrath,  our  souls  filled  with  enmity 
against  God.  Yet,  he  gave  h':s  Son  to  die  for  us,  sent  his 
Holy  Spirit  to  destroy  this  enmity,  effect  reconciliation 
and  bring  us  into  a  covenant  of  friendship.  He  has 
pardoned  our  sins,  and  given  us  the  adoption  through 
Jesus.  "  Behold,  what  manner  of  love  the  Father  hath 
bestowed  upon  us,  that  we  should  be  called  the  sons 
of  God."  And  while  the  great,  the  mighty,  and  the 
noble  of  the  earth  are  passed  by,  he  has  taken  us  to  be  a 
peculiar  people  unto  himself,  and  intrusted  us  with  the 
testimony  of  Jesus,  the  purity  of  his  worship,  the  main- 
tenance of  his  truth,  and  the  honor  of  his  crown.  "  The 
Lord  hath  done  great  things  for  us  ;  whereof  we  are  glad." 
3.  We  should  be  greatly  encouraged  in  view  of  the 
future.  Our  work  is  great,  but  the  help  is  sufficient.  He 
sendeth  none  a  warfare  at  his  own  charges.  The  terms 
of  the  covenant  to-day  are  the  same  as  of  old,  "  My 
grace  is  sufficient  for  thee."  What  we  most  need 
every  step  in  the  Christian  life  is  an  appropriating  faith 
to  lay  hold  anew  upon  Jesus,  that  we  may  derive  contin- 
ual supplies  from  the  unsearchable  riches  o4  his  grace. 
Whether  we  view  our  work  in  reference  to  personal  re- 
ligion, or  family  godliness,  or  the  maintenance  of  a  pub- 
lic testimony,  we  need  heavenly  help  for  its  performance. 
In  ourselves  we  have  no  strength  to  stand  aloof  from, 
and  not  incorporate  with  this  great,  growing  and  pros- 
perous Republic,  while  in  its  atheistic  madness,  it  con- 
tinues to  ignore  the  being  of  God,  and  refuses  to  even 
mention  the  name  of  our  mediatorial  Kinor,  the  Lord 
Jesus.  But  he  says,  "As  thy  days,  so  shall  thy  strength 
be."     In   carrying   out  the   covenant  we  must  contend 


72  Memorial  Volume. 

with  enemies,  and  encounter  powerful  opposition.  But 
we  have  no  reason  to  be  discouraged,  while  our  cove- 
nant God  says,  "  Fear  thou  not ;  for  I  am  with  thee  :  be 
not  dismayed  ;  for  I  am  thy  God  :  I  will  strengthen  thee, 
yea,  I  will  help  thee  ;  yea,  I  will  uphold  thee  with  the  right 
hand  of  my  righteousness."  If  we  deal  faithfully  with 
the  covenant,  it  will  be  said  of  us  as  of  Hezekiah  after 
he  had  entered  into  covenant,  "  The  Lord  was  with 
him;  and  he  prospered." 

4.  We  should  cherish  a  holy  dread  of  breaking  this 
covenant.  "  Happy  is  the  man  that  feareth  alway," 
Prov.  28  :  14.  Holy  fear  is  a  valuable  conservative 
principle  as  far  removed  from  legality  as  from  pre- 
sumption. The  Holy  Spirit  addresses  solemn  warnings. 
"  Work  out  your  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling." 
Pass  the  time  of  your  sojourning  here  in  fear.  "  Let 
him  that  thinketh  he  standeth  take  heed  lest  he  fall." 
We  should  live  in  continual  dread  of  self.  For  this  pur- 
pose we  should  meditate  much  upon  the  awful  threaten- 
in'^s  denounced  against  covenant  breakers.  Ez.  17: 
15-19;  Deut.  28  and  29;  Neh.  5:  13;  Heb.  10: 
38  ;  Jer.  11:3.  If  any  man  draw  back,  my  soul  shall 
have  no  pleasure  in  him.  The  covenant  breaker  is 
worthy  of  death.  The  sentence  shall  be  executed. 
His  Lord  shall  cut  him  asunder,  and  appoint  him  his 
portion  with  the  hypocrites  ;  there  shall  be  weeping  and 
gnashing  of  teeth. 


73 


THE  SPIRIT  IN   WHICH    WE    SHOULD  EN- 
GAGE IN  THE  ACT  OF  COVENANTING. 

BY   REV.    J.    R.    W.    SLOANE,    D.    D. 

When  the  great  French  preacher,  Massijlon,  was 
about  to  pronounce  the  funeral  discourse  of  Louis  XIV., 
he  stood  for  a  moment,  surveying  in  silence  the  vast  as- 
sembly before  him  and  the  emblems  of  mourning  with 
which  he  was  surrounded  ;  and  then,  as  if  overwhelmed 
with  a  sense  of  the  indescribable  nothingness  of  man 
"  at  his  best  estate,"  broke  the  solemn  stillness  with  these 
words,   "  God  alone  is  great.'''' 

Standing  in  this  presence,  amid  the  hallowed  associa- 
tions of  this  hour,  and  on  the  very  threshold  of  the 
solemn  service  in  which  we  are  presently  to  engage,  I 
feel  that  silent  meditation  would  be  more  fitting  than 
words,  and  that  at  best  I  can  but  speak  to  you  with 
stammering  tongue. 

We  are  here,  not  to  lay  God  under  any  new  or  addi- 
tional obligation,  but  to  devote  ourselves  by  a  renewed 
act  of  self-consecration  to  his  service,  and  to  receive 
for  ourselves  and  for  our  children  the  blessings  which 
are  treasured  up  in  that  everlasting  covenant  of  grace, 
which  is  ordered  in  all  things  and  sure.  In  thal^ternal 
arrangement  between  the  Father  and  the  Son,  God  prom- 
ises tobe__our_GodLjtostand  to  us  in  a  very  intimate  and 
endearing  relation,  and  to  _bestow  upon  us  all  necessary 
and  gjracious.^Msjsings.  We  have^J^yt  to  accept  .^the 
terms,  to   hear  him  saying  to  us,    "  I  will   betroth  thee 


74  Memorial  Volume. 

unto  me  for  ever;  yea,  I  will  betroth  thee  unto  me  in 
righteousness,  and  in  judgment  and  in  loving  kindness 
and  in  mercies,"  "  Thy  Maker  is  thine  husband  ;  the 
Lord  of  Hosts  is  his  name;  and  thy  Redeemer,  the  Holy 
One  of  Israel,"  "  For  all  things  are  yours,  and  ye  are 
Christ's  and  Christ  is  God's,"  and,  reaching  out  the  hand 
of  faith,  receive  out  of  that  fulness  that  dwells  according 
to  the  good  pleasure  of  the  Father  in  Christ,  and  appro- 
priate to  ourselves  all  promised  blessings  from  the  infi- 
nite riches  of  his  grace. 

This  approach  to  the  presence  of  God  must  be  made 
in  the  spirit  of  deep  humiliation.  When  Isaiah  saw  the 
Lord  sitting  upon  a  throne  high  and  lifted  up,  the  sera- 
phim veiling  their  faces  before  him,  and  heard  their 
solemn  "  Trisagion,"  •■'  Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  the  Lord  of 
hosts  ;  the  whole  earth  is  full  of  his  glory,"  we  hear  him 
crying,  ''  Wo  is  me  !  for  I  am  undone  ;  because  I  am  a 
man  of  unclean  lips,  and  I  dwell  in  the  midst  of  a  people 
of  unclean  lips  :  for  mine  eyes  have  seen  the  King,  the 
Lord  of  Hosts."  If  he,  the  rapt  Isaiah,  "  whose  hal- 
lowed lips  were  touched  with  fire,"  was  overwhelmed 
with  a  sense  of  his  own  unworthiness,  much  more  may 
we  inquire,  "  Who  can  stand  before  so  holy  a  Lord 
God  ?  "  It  becomes  us  to  say  with  Ezra,  "  O  my  God, 
I  am  ashamed,  and  blush  to  lift  up  my  face  to  thee,  my 
God  ;  for  our  iniquities  are  increased  over  our  head,  and 
our  trespass  is  grown  up  unto  the  heavens."  When 
Moses  saw  the  bush  burning  with  fire  but  not  con- 
sumed, he  heard  the  voice  of  God,  '^  Draw  not  nigh 
hither ;  put  off  thy  shoes  from  off  thy  reet ;  for  the 
place  whereon  thou  standest  is  holy  ground."     We  re- 


Covenanting — its  Spirit.  75 

member   that   the   bush   burning  with  fire  but   not  con- 
sumed,  was  the   emblem  of  the   church  of  our  fathers. 
Three  hundred  years  have  passed  since,  with  hands  Hfted 
up  to  God,  they  swore  to   the  same   principles  to  which 
we  give  our  adherence  to-day.    ''iWr  tamen  consumehutur.^^ 
Do   we  not   also    hear  from   out  this  flame  of  fire,  this 
bush  yet  unconsumed,  the  voice  of  God,  in  tones  solemn 
as  those  which  fell  upon  the  ears  of  the  son  of  Amram, 
in  the  desert,  *•'  The  place   whereon   thou    standest  is  holy 
ground F""     Surely  we  all  feel  that  this  is  the  most  impor- 
tant and  solemn  hour  of  our  lives.     We  have  been  at  the 
communion    table,  that   holy  place,   overshadowed    with 
the  wings  of  the   cherubim,   where    God   meets  with  his 
people,  communes  with  them  and    blesses    them.      We 
have  been  in   the  chamber  of  death,  and  as  the  soul  of 
the   righteous   departing  from  the  earthly  house  went  to 
be  forever  with   the  Lord,  a  solemn  awe  has  fallen  upon 
the   spirit,  as   we   felt  that  Jehovah  with  his  chariots   of 
salvation  was  passing  by.      We  have  mingled,  doubtless, 
in  many   solemn    scenes   of  which  we   have   said   surely 
"  God  is  in  this   place."      But    now,  we   draw   nearer  to 
him  than  we  have  ever  done  before.    May  we  so  approach 
him    that  with    holy  Jacob,  after   his  wrestling  with   the 
angel,   we    may  inscribe   upon   this    place  Peniel,  and 
say  with  him,  "  For  I  have  seen  God  face  to  face." 

We  must  enter  into  this  our  covenant  and  oath  in  the 
spirit  of  entire  self-consecration  to  the  service  of  Christ. 
In  the  days  of  the  pious  Asa^  when  God  had  wrought  a 
great  deliverance  for  his  people,  they  renewed  their  cove- 
nant, and  it  is  said  of  that  transaction,  "  And  all  Judah 
rejoiced  at  the  oath  :   for  they  had   sworn  with  all  their 


76  Memorial  Volume. 

hearty  and  sought  him  with  their  whole  desire.^''  In  laying 
hold  of  (jod's  covenant,  we  not  only  take  him  for  our 
God,  but  we  pledge  ourselves  to  be  his  people,  that  "  we 
will  live  no  longer  to  ourselves,  to  Satan,  to  sin  or  the 
world,  but  for  him  alone,  that,  all  other  gods  being  re- 
jected, we  will  believe,  worship  and  serve  him  alone  ; 
that  we  will  devote  ourselves,  soul  and  body,  to  him  as 
his  temples  and  spiritual  sacrifices  :  our  mind  his  to  know 
him,  our  will  to  worship  him,  our  affections  to  love  him, 
our  eyes  to  behold  the  wonders  of  his  power,  our  ears  to 
hear  his  voice,  our  tongues  to  celebrate  his  praise,  our 
hands  to  do  his  work,  and  in  fine,  every  member  as  an 
instrument  of  righteousness  to  God."  Let  us  hear  the 
exhortation  of  the  apostle,  "  I  beseech  you  therefore, 
brethren,  by  the  mercies  of  God,  that  ye  present  your 
bodies  a  living  sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  unto  God, 
which  is  your  reasonable  service."  Let  no  one  take  the 
oath  of  God  who  hath  not  vowed  to  consecrate  himself 
to  God  and  to  the  church,  with  his  whole  heart  and 
strength  and  mind.  '^  This  day  the  Lord  thy  God  hath 
commanded  thee  to  do  these  statutes  and  judgments  ; 
thou  shalt  therefore  keep  and  do  them  with  all  thine 
heart  and  with  all  thy  soul."  May  the  declaration  of 
the  inspired  apostle,  "  For  none  of  us  liveth  to  himself, 
and  no  man  dieth  to  himself;"  "  Whether  we  live 
therefore,  or  die,  we  are  the  Lord's,"  come  home  with 
power  to  our  hearts,  and  may  we  be  enabled  to  say_,  as 
for  us  and  our  house  we  will  serve  the  Lord. 

We  must  earnestly  seek  for  the  divine  Spirit  to  enable 
us  to  be  faithful  to  our  covenant  obligations.  ""  Better 
is  it  that  thou  shouldest  not  vow,  than  that  thou  shouldest 


Covenanting — its  Spirit.  77 

vow  and  not  pay."  "  No  man,  having  put  his  hand  to 
the  plough,  and  looking  back,  is  fit  for  the  kingdom  of 
God."  We  pledge  ourselves  to-day  to  some  principles 
which  we  hold  in  common  with  all  the  people  of  God  of 
every  name,  and  also  to  others  which  we  esteem  of 
equal  importance,  but  to  which  we  are  at  present  the 
only  witnesses.  That  these  principles  will  eventually 
triumph  we  are  confident,  but  until  that  day  come  we 
must  make  our  account  to  meet  with  more  or  less  of 
opposition  and  reproach.  Let  us  beware  of  the  example 
of  the  perfidious  sons  of  Ephraim,  who,  lacking  neither 
bows  nor  arrovv^s,  turned  ^ack,  faint-hearted,  in  the  day  of 
battle.  "  Be  thou  faithful  unto  death,  and  I  will  give 
thee  a  crown  of  life." 

We  recall  the  scene  in  Grey- friar's  churchyard, 
when  the  "  National  Covenant "  was  sworn  by  our 
fathers.  "  The  intense  emotions  of  many  became  irre- 
pressible. Some  wept  aloud  ;  some  burst  into  a  shout  of 
exultation  ;  some  after  their  names  added  the  words  till 
death  i  and  some,  opening  a  vein,  subscribed  with  their 
own  warm  blood."  The  words  ^''  till  dearth ^^  were  no 
empty  boast.  Soon  the  fires  of  persecution  were  kindled, 
and  blood  flowed  like  water  ;  on  battle  fields,  on  scaffolds, 
in  dungeons,  and  at  the  stake,  many  sealed  their  fidelity 
to  their  covenant  engagements  with  their  lives.  We  may 
not  be  called  to  pass  through  such  scenes  as  those  which 
witnessed  the  fidelity  of  our  martyred  fathers.  But  we 
shall  not  accomplish  our  testimony  without  meeting  bitter 
and  determined  opposition.  We  may  expect  to  be  severe- 
ly tried.  We  must  set  our  faces  like  a  flint  ;  we  must 
keep  the  eye  of  faith  steadfastly  fixed  upon  Him  "who,  for 

7 


78  Memorial  Volume. 

the  joy  that  was  set  before  him,  endured  the  cross.,  de- 
spising the  shame  ;"  upon  the  great  cloud  of  witnesses, 
who  have  gone  before  us  ;  upon  the  unfading  crown  and 
the  unending  kingdom.  "  To  him  that  overcometh  will  I 
grant  to  sit  with  me  in  my  throne,  even  as  I  also  over- 
came and  am  set  down  with  my  Father  in  his  throne." 

Let  us  seek  for  that  strong  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  that  overcomes  the  world  and  secures  the  victory 
against  every  enemy.  When  covenants  were  made 
under  the  Old  Testament,  the  victim  was  divided,  the 
parties  to  the  engagement  passed  between  the  parts,  while 
the  blood  of  the  victim  was  sprinkled  upon  them  in  token 
of  their  fidelity  to  their  obligations.  That  blood  typi- 
fied the  blood  of  Christ,  by  which  alone  we  have  bold- 
ness to  approach  to  God  in  any  act  of  solemn  worship. 
Through  faith  in  Christ  we  become  heirs  of  the  blessings 
of  the  covenant  of  grace,  and,  therefore,  we  should  espe- 
cially remember  that  in  this  act  without  faith  it  is  im- 
possible to  please  God.  We  come  "  to  Jesus  the  me- 
diator of  the  new  covenant,  and  to  the  blood  of  sprinkling, 
that  speaketh  better  things  than  that  of  Abel." 

How  long  have  we  prayed  and  waited  for  the  promise 
of  the  Spirit  to  be  fulfilled  !  Some  communications  of 
God's  grace  we  have  from  time  to  time  received  ;  some 
showers  have  fallen  upon  us,  but  we  have  not  enjoyed 
the  outpouring  of  the  Spirit  in  such  fullness  and  efficacy  as 
we  have  desired.  We  have  not  received  the  great  rain 
of  his  strength.  The  heavens  above  us  have  been  iron, 
and  the  earth  brass.  The  seed  has  been  sown,  but  the 
harvest  has  not  been  gathered.  Our  neglect  of  the  duty 
which  we  now  essay  in  God's  great  and  holy  name  may 


Covenanting — its  Spirit.  79 

be  the  cause.  At  all  events  let  us  now  lift  up  our 
prayer  to  God  that  he  v^^ould  pour  water  upon  him  that  is 
thirsty  and  floods  upon  the  dry  ground.  May  ^ye  not 
be  permitted  to  believe  that  the  promise  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  now  to  be  fulfilled,  that  our  covenant  God  will 
open  the  windows  of  heaven  and  pour  upon  us  a  blessing 
until  there  shall  not  be  room  to  receive.?  "Awake,  O 
north  wind  ;  and  come  thou  south  ;  blow  upon  my  garden, 
that  the  spices  thereof  may  flow  out." 

From  this  moment  let  us  endeavor  to  strengthen  the 
bonds  of  brotherly  love.  Union  in  this  great  act  must 
increase  mutual  confidence  and  affection.  All  wrath, 
and  malice,  and  envy,  and  evil  speaking  must  cease. 

Permit  me  to  exhort  you  in  the  words  of  the  great 
apostle,  "  Be  kindly  afFectioned  one  to  another  with  bro- 
therly love  ;  in  honor  preferring  one  another."  Do  I  not 
express  both  the  conviction  and  resolution  of  all,  when  I 
say,  that  from  this  time  we  shall  be  more  united  than  wc 
have  ever  been  heretofore  ;  that  now  hand  will  grasp 
hand  with  renewed  zeal  and  sincerity,  and  that  hence- 
forth,  like  a  company  of  horses  in  Pharaoh's  chariots,  we 
will  go  forward  in  the  work  of  the  Lord  ^ 

We  pledge  ourselves  in  our  bond  that  no  effort  shall  be 
spared  to  make  our  beloved  country  a  kingdom  of  our  Lord 
and  of  his  Christ.  The  old  blue  banner  of  the  covenant 
which  our  fathers  unfurled  to  the  battle  and  the  breeze, 
bore  for  its  inscription,  "  P'or  Christ's  Crown  and  Cove- 
nant." Shortly  after  the  disruption  of  the  established 
church  the  eloquent  Guthrie  said,  "This  storm  has 
blown  out  the  old  banner  until  we  read  '  For  Christ's 
Crown.'  Let  it  blow  a  little  longer  and  a  little  stronger, 


8o  Memorial   Volume. 

and  we  shall  read  the  entire  motto,  '  For  Christ's 
Crown  and  Covenant.'  "  That  prayer,  alas  !  is  yet  un- 
fulfilled in  the  land  of  cur  covenant  fathers.  But  here, 
to-day,  we  bind  ourselves  to  endeavor  to  hasten  the  time 
when  the  meteor  flag  of  our  country,  the  starry  emblem 
of  its  power,  shall  float  over  a  land  in  covenant  with 
God,  recognizing  his  Son  and  owning  allegiance  to  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  And  may  God  hasten  it  in  his  time. 
And  now,  dear  brethren,  let  us  with  united  hearts,  with 
sincerity  of  purpose,  with  fervent  prayer  to  the  God  of^  all 
grace  to  make  us  perfect,  stablish,  strengthen  and  settle 
us,  and  with  our  hearts  lifted  up  with  our  hands  to  God 
in  the  heavens,  carry  out  our  long-cherished  and  delib- 
erate purpose  to  "join  ourselves  to  the  Lord  in  a 
perpetual  covem.nt  that  shall  not  be  forgotten.*' 


8i 
FIDELITY  TO  VOWS. 

BY  REV.  W.  MILROY. 

Fathers  and  Brethren  :  How  dreadful  is  this  place  1 
How  solemn  is  this  scene  !  How  transcendently  g;ran() 
th's  transaction  !  How  momentous,  perhaps,  its  results  ! 
We  have  stood  in  the  presence  of  that  God  whose  eyes 
are  as  a  flame  of  fire  to  search  every  heart.  We  have 
opened  our  mouths,  and  lifted  up  our  hands  unto  ihe 
Lord,  and  we  may  not  go  back. 

Let  us  here  pause  for  a  moment,  and  endeavor  to  re- 
alize the  position  we  now  occupy. 

Claiming  to  be  the  descendants  and  proper  representa- 
tives of  the  men  of  the  Second  Reformation  and  of  those 
who  are  known  in  history,  and  honored  as  "  the  Martyrs 
of  the  Covenant,"  we  have  just  been  exemplifying,  in  the 
face  of  this  great  American  nation,  the  duty  of  covenant- 
ing. In  a  bond^  framed  with  a  view  to  the  times  and 
circumstances  in  which  we  are  placed,  we  have  avouched 
the  Lord  to  be  our  God,  and  pledged  renewed  devotion 
to  his  cause  and  service. 

We  hold  ourselves  still  bound  by  "the  covenants  of 
our  fathers,"  familiarly  known  by  the  designation, 
"  National  and  Solemn  League."  Indeed,  if  the  prin- 
ciple to  which  we  have  given  renewed  expression  in 
this,  our  covenant,  be  just  and  true,  viz.,  that  the 
obligation  of  moral  covenants,  which  contemplate 
posterity,  descends  upon  those  represented  in  the 
taking  of  them  till  their  end  is  acomplished,  then  it 
follows,  as  a  necessary  consequence,  that  we   could  not 

7* 


82  Memorial  Volume. 

rid  ourselves  of  the  obligations  of  the  covenants  of 
our  fathers  if  we  would ;  and  I  hope  it  is  equally  true, 
we  would  not  if  we  could  ? 

The  grand  leadino;  principle  of  both  the  covenants  to 
which  allusion  has  just  been  made,  is  not,  we  appre- 
hend, embraced  in  our  present  bond  at  all ;  or  if  at  all, 
only  by  implication,  viz.,  the  duty  of  the  state,  as  such^ 
to  enter  into  alliance  with  the  church  of  Christ,  and  to 
profess^  adhere  to^  defend  and  maintain  the  true  religion. 

Ever  since  Christianity  became  a  power  among  the 
nations  of  the  world,  the  minds  of  legislators  have  been 
occupied  with  the  difficult  question,  C^^;  church  and  state 
enter  into  mutual  alliance,  and  yet  each  prosecute,  un- 
trammelled, its  respective  ends,  and  exercise,  uncontrolled, 
its  important  functions  ?  Though  the  verdict  of  the 
Christian  people  of  the  United  States,  if  called  to-day  to 
answer  this  question,  would  probably  be  overwhelmingly 
in  the  negative,  yet  we  conceive,  the  pious,  profound 
and  sagacious  men  of  the  Second  Reformation  more  than 
two  hundred  years  ago,  solved  the  problem  correctly, 
answering  in  the  affirmative.  And  not  only  so,  but  for 
a  brief  period  in  the  land  of  the  covenants,  they  presented 
to  the  world  what  has  nowhere  else  been  witnessed,  that 
solution  in  practical  operation. 

We  stand,  then,  this  day,  before  the  churches  and  the 
world,  in  the  solemn  attitude  of  covenanters^  avowing  our 
belief  in,  and  cordial  reception  of,  the  principles  embodied 
in  this,  our  bond ;  proclaiming  at  the  same  time  our  un- 
diminished attachment,and  continued  adherence  to  these 
covenants  of  our  fathers  ;  and  convinced  of  their  moral 
and   scriptural   character,   deliberately  expressing,  under 


Fidelity  to  Vows.  83 

the  solemnity  of  an  oath,  our  settled  determination,  with 
the  help  of  God,  unfalteringly  to  vindicate  and  maintain 
both  the  one  and.  the  other. 

There  are  two  general  considerations  that  should  have 
weight  with  us  in  attending  to  the  question  of  fidelity  to 
vows,  viz.,  the  advantages  of  fidelity,  and  the  fearful 
consequences  of  unfaithfulness. 

The  advantages  that  may  be  expected  to  result  from 
strict  fidelity  to  our  vows  are  many  and  great.  The 
preparation  and  investigation  necessary  to  the  proper  per- 
formance of  the  duty,  tend  to  solemnity  of  mind  and 
clearer  apprehensions  of  divine  truth.  Covenanting 
unites  the  friends  of  truth  in  sentiment,  in  afi^ection,  in 
firm,  holy  resolve  to  maintain  the  truth.  It  furnishes  to 
those  who  love  the  truth  the  means  of  readily  discover- 
ing each  other,  and  presents  a  rallying  point  around 
which  they  may  gather.  In  union  there  is  strength. 
Our  fathers  in  days  gone  by  were  thus  drawn  together, 
and  rallied  under  the  banner  of  the  covenant;  and  find- 
ing they  were  perfectly  joined  together  in  one  heart  and 
onejudgment,  were  enabled  to  perform  that  work  by  which 
their  names  have  been  transmitted  with  honor  to  poster- 
ity. In  those  days  of  pure  piety,  uncompromising  prin- 
ciple, lofty  purpose,  and  heroic  deeds,  when  men  loved 
not  their  lives  unto  the  death,  the  National  Covenant  and 
the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant  were  the  means  of 
erecting  an  insuperable  barrier  against  the  inroads  of 
poperji»>and  prelacy,  and  proved  the  stability  and  security 
of  the  church  in  those  troublous  times. 

Have  the  friends  of  truth  and  liberty  nothing  to  appre- 
hend   from  the   same  source  in  our  day  and  our  land  ? 


84  Memorial  Volume. 

It  has  been  said,  and  we  think  truly  said,  that  the  high 
church  in  England  and  the  high  church  in  Scotland 
are  "  sappers  and  miners  for  the  Church  of  Rome." 
With  equal  truth  we  may  add,  popish  prelacy,  the  high 
church  in  America,  is  a  sapper  and  miner  for  the  Church 
of  Rome.  And  what  are  the' aims  and  purposes  of  the 
Church  of  Rome  here  ?  A  distinguished  Romish  priest 
of  New  York  revealed  them  when  he  said,  in  a  lecture 
recently  delivered  in  the  city  of  Detroit  :  "  Catholicism 
rules  the  city  of  New  York  with^^^  thousand  majority. 
And  the  question  is  not  now,  will  the  Catholics  ever  rule 
America  ?  but,  how  soon?''  The  policy  adopted  to  secure 
their  contemplated  end — the  end  of  which  they  are  now, 
and  with  reason,  so  boastfully  confident — is  Jesuitical,  art- 
ful and  insidious.  Have  we  not  been  forewarned  of  it  ? 
Has  it  not  been  intimated  to  us  in  the  word  of  infallible 
truth,  that  as  there  were  false  prophets  among  the  people 
of  Israel  of  old,  so  "  there  shall  be  false  teachers  among 
you,  who  privily  shall  bring  in  damnable  heresies,"  and 
whose  coming  is  "  with  all  deceivableness  of  unrighteous- 
ness," beguiling  unstable  souls?  Have  we  not  been  in- 
formed that  "  many  shall  follow  their  pernicious  ways, 
by  reason  of  whom  the  way  of  truth  shall  be  evil  spoken 
of  ?"    2  Pet.  2:1,   14  ;   2  Thess.  2:10. 

Is  it  not  high  time  the  friends  of  religion  and  truth 
were  taking  the  alarm  ?  were  forecasting  the  future  ? 
were  preparing  for  defence,  seizing  again  those  weapons 
that  have  been  proved,  and  found  so  effective  in  the  past.? 
Is  it  not  highly  proper,  now  that  danger  threatens,  that 
truth  is  imperilled,  that  the  enemy  is  coming  in  like  a  flood; 
is  it  not,  I  say,  highly  proper  that  we,  directed  by  the 


Fidelity   to  Vows.  85 

example  of  our  worthy  covenant  ancestors,  and  animated 
by  the  eminent  success  that  crowned  their  efforts,  should 
again  display  the  banner,  as  of  old,  that  we  should  gather 
for  its  support,  and  for  the  defence  of  liberty,  civil  and 
religious,  blended  in  unity,  and  bound  together  as  one 
man  by  the  oath  of  God  ? 

Our  recognition,  in  connection  with  our  own  proper 
bond,  of  the  oblip-ation  of  the  covenants  of  our  ancestors, 
legitimately  tends  to  strengthen  gratitude  to  God,  and  to 
inspire  confidence  in  his  promised  mercy.  God  is  thus 
exhibited  in  the  attractive  light  of  dealins;  with  the  fathers 

o  o 

on  behalf  of  the  children,  and  those  children  through  suc- 
cessive generations  are  made  to  feel  that  they  have  cause 
of  thanksgiving  to  God  for  his  goodness,  in  having  re- 
gard to  their  interests  and  welfare  in  those  federal  trans- 
actions into  which  he  has  condescended  to  enter  with 
their  parents.  It  was  to  show  the  duty  of  gratitude,  and  to 
awaken  a  'iense  of  gratitude  for  this  method  of  the  divine 
procedure,  that  Peter  said  to  the  Jews,  "  Ye  are  the 
children  of  the  prophets,  and  of  the  covenant  which  God 
made  with  our  fathers '"  Acts  3  :  25.  In  the  fact  that  God 
has  entered  into  covenant  with,  and  been  gracious  to  our 
fathers  in  times  past,  a  sure  foundation  is  laid  for  the  con- 
fident expectation  that  he  will  continue  to  be  gracious  to 
the  children.  He  is  Hue  to  his  promises.  "  He  is  not 
man  that  he  should  lie,  neither  the  son  of  man  that  he 
should  repent/'  And  his  encouraging  word  of  promise 
is, ''  He  will  not  forsake  thee,  neither  destroy  thee,  nor 
forget  the  covenant  oi  x.\\y  fathers^  which  he  sware  unto 
them."  Deut.  4  :  31. 

The  doctrine  of  the   descending  obligations  of  cove- 


86  Memorial  Volume. 

nants,  which  we  now  recognize,  tends  also  to  exhibit  and 
promote  the  unity  of  the  church.  In  the  covenant 
transaction  with  Abraham,  his  seed  was  embraced.  Its 
terms  were,  "  I  will  establish  my  covenant  between  me 
and  thee  and  thy  seed  after  thee  in  their  generations  for 
an  everlasting  covenant,  to  be  a  God  unto  thee,  and  to 
thy  seed  after  thee."  Gen.  17:7.  The  church  in  all 
ages,  and  under  all  dispensations,  is  thus  exhibited  as  one 
covenant  society,  bound  together  in  one  common 
brotherhood,  seeking  the  same  ends  and  participating  in 
the  same  blessings.  Hence  Paul's  language  to  the  Gen- 
tiles, "  If  ye  be  Christ's,  then  are  ye  Abraham's  seed, 
and  heirs  according  to  the  promise."  Gal.  3  :  29.  The 
prayer  of  the  Saviour  is,  "  Holy  Father,  keep  through 
thine  own  name  those  whom  thou  hast  given  me,  that 
they  may  be  one,  as  we  are."   John  17  :   11. 

"Whence  come  wars  and  fightings,"  "emulations, 
wrath,  strife,  seditions,  heresies  .?"  "Come  they  not  hence, 
even  of  your  lusts  that  war  in  your  members  ?"  Let 
these  lusts  be  subdued  ;  let  the  Holy  Spirit  be  poured 
down  in  rich  effusion  from  on  high,  and  we  are  war- 
ranted in  cherishing  the  hope  that,  even  on  this  distracted 
earth,  the  watchmen  on  Zion's  walls  shall  lift  up  the 
voice,  and  with  the  voice  together  sing,  for  they  shall 
see  eye  to  eye  ;  to  anticipate  a  time  when  the  Lord's 
people  shall  ^// speak  the  same  things,  and  be  "perfectly 
joined  together  in  the  same  mind,  and  the  same  judg- 
ment ;"  when  the  churches^  bound  together  and  to  God 
in  holy  covenant,  shall  "  look  forth  as  the  morning, 
fair  as  the  moon,  clear  as  the  sun,  and  terrible  as  an 
army  with  banners;"  and  "all  the    ends  of  the   earth 


Fidelity  to  Vows.  87 

shall  see  the  salvation  of  our  God."  Isa.  52  :  8,  10  ; 
I    Cor.    I  :  10  ;   Song  6  :  10. 

Covenanting  is,  by  divine  appointment,  a  means  emi- 
nently fitted  to  put  the  church  in  possession  of  the  bless- 
ings that  have  been  enumerated.  But  let  us  bear  in 
mind,  it  matters  not  with  what  care  this  duty  may  be 
approached ;  it  matters  not  with  what  solemnity  and 
frequency  it  may  be  performed  ;  covenanting,  without 
fidelity,  will  prove  only  a  rope  of  sand.  As,  however, 
covenanting  with  sincerity  and  ho  nesty  in  the  fear  of  God 
is  God's  appointment,  his  method  of  putting  us  in  pos- 
session of  the  advantages  specified  and  nr.any  others  ;  so 
fidelity  to  our  vows  will  tend  greatly  to  secure  and  pro- 
mote all  these  advantages,  and,  above  all,  is  indispensably 
requisite  to  the  enjoyment  of  x\\q  favor  of  God. 

When  God  entered  into  covenant  with  Israel  at  Sinai, 
he  encouraged  them  to  fidelity  by  the  assurance  of  his 
favor  :  "  Now  therefore,  if  ye  will  obey  my  voice  in- 
deed, and  keep  my  covenant,  then  ye  shall  be  a  peculiar 
treasure  unto  me  above  all  people  :  for  all  the  earth  is 
mine  :  and  ye  shall  be  unto  me  a  kingdom  of  priests,  and 
an  holy  nation."  Ex.  19  :  5,  6.  That  favor  constitutes 
a  perfect  shield  and  protection.  He  says,  "  Fear  not, 
for  I  have  redeemed  thee  ;  when  thou  passest  through  the 
waters,  I  will  be  with  thee  ;  and  through  the  rivers,  they 
shall  not  overflow  thee  :  when  thou  walkest  through  the 
file,  thou  shalt  not  be  burned  ;  neither  shall  the  flame 
kindle  upon  thee.  For  I  am  the  Lord  thy  God,  the  Holy 
One  of  Israel,  thy  Saviour."  "  Fear  thou  not  ;  for  I  am 
with  thee:  be  not  dismayed  ;  for  I  am  thy  God  :  I  will 
strengthen  thee  \  yea,  I  will  help  thee  ;  yea,   I  will  up- 


88  Memorial  Volume. 

hold  thee  with  the  right  hand  of  my  righteousness."  Isa. 
43  •  '~3  '  4^  •  10*  This  divine  favor  has  always  been 
realized  by,  and  never  withheld  or  withdrawn  from, 
those  who  have  been  mindful  of,  and  faithful  to,  their 
vows.  The  failure  has  never  been  on  God's  part ;  for 
he  is  a  God  that  keepeth  covenant.  The  recorded  ex- 
perience of  Israel  in  the  days  of  Asa  has  been  the  uni- 
form experience  of  all  faithful  covenanters  in  every  age. 
"  And  they  entered  into  a  covenant  to  seek  the  Lord 
God  of  their  fathers  with  all  their  heart  and  with  all  their 
soul.  And  all  Judah  rejoiced  at  the  oath  :  for  they  had 
sworn  with  all  their  heart,  and  sought  him  with  their 
whole  desire;  and  he  was  found  of  them  :  and  the  Lord 
gave  them  rest  round  about."   2  Chron.  15  :  12,  15. 

We  should  be  deterred  from  unfaithfulness  by  the 
consideration  of  its  terrible  consequences.  Look,  for 
illustration,  at  the  condition  of  Scotland  to-day  :  that 
land,  so  noted  of  yore  for  her  loyalty  to  King  Jesus  ;  so 
celebrated  for  the  piety,  intelligence  and  scriptural  prin- 
ciples of  her  sons  ;  so  distinguished  for  her  covenants 
and  her  martyrs.  What  is  she  now  t  Alas,  how  fallen  ! 
A  large  majority  of  her  aristocracy  and  large  numbers 
of  her  people  "  entangled,"  as  one  expresses  it.  "in  the 
meshes  of  the  corrupt  Episcopal  communion,  which  is 
there  high  church  in  the  very  worst  sense  of  the  term." 
That  land,  the  glory  of  all  modern  lands,  conspicuous 
and  pre-eminent  for  the  purity  of  her  principles  and  the 
completeness  of  her  reformation,  again  so  tainted  and 
leavened  with  the  corruptions  of  popery  and  prelacy,  as 
to  be  to  a  considerable  extent,  high  church,  /.  e.  little 
better  than  Rome  herself,  in  truth,  operating,  "  sapping, 


Fidelity  to  Vows.  89 

and  mining"  for  the  Church  of  Rome  !  And  to  what  is 
this  result  attributable  ?  It  may  be  traced  directly  to  the 
breach  of  her  National  Covenant,  and  the  Solemn 
League  and  Covenant. 

That   unfaithfulness  to  vows  is  regarded  by  God  as  a 
sin  of  a  most  aggravated   character  is   manifest  from  his 
complaints^  his   charges^  his  threatenings  against   Israel   for 
their  guilt  thus  incurred.      How  pathetic  his  complaint  ! 
"  The  house  of  Israel  and  the  house  of  Judah  have  broken 
my  covenant    which    I   made   with    their   fathers."  Jer. 
11:10.      How  grave  his   charge  !  "  They   kept  not  the 
covenant    of   God,  and    refused    to   walk   in    his    law." 
"  For  their  heart  was  not  right  with   him,  neither  were 
they  steadfast  in     his  covenant."   Ps.  78  :  10,  37.     How 
terrible  his  threatening  !   "If  ye  will  not  be  reformed  by 
me  by  these  things,  but  will  walk  contrary  unto  me  ;  then 
will   I  also  walk  contrary  unto  you,  and  will  punish  you 
yet  seven  times  for  your  sins.     And  I  will  bring  a  sword 
upon  you  that  shall  avenge  the  quarrel  of  my  covenant." 
I>ev.  26  :  23,  25.      And  when  the  threatened  judgments 
of  Heaven  have  been   executed,  and  the  land  rendered   a 
desolation  and  a  waste,  when  in  astonishment  inquiry  is 
made,  "  Wherefore  hath  the  Lord   done  thus   unto  this 
land  ?      What    meanelh    the  heat    of   this  great  anger? 
then    men   shall   say,   Because  they   have  forsaken    the 
covenant    o{  the  Lord    God    of  their    fathers."      Deut. 
29  :  24,  25. 

Brethren  :  if  there  ever  can  be  a  time  when  the  follow- 
ing words  of  sacred  writ  should  be  regarded  as  addressed 
emphatically  to  «j",  that  time  is  noiu  :  "  When  thou 
vowest  a  vow  unto  God,  defer  not  to  pay  it ;  for  he  hath 

8 


90  Memorial  Volume. 

no  pleasure  in  fools  :  pay  that  which  thou  hast  vowed  : 
Better  is  it  that  thou  shouldest  not  vow,  than  that  thou 
shouldest  vow  and  not  pay."   Eccl.  5  ;  4,  5. 

We  have  been  engaged  in  what  is  here  a  somewhat 
singular  service  ;  1  say  singular,  because  seldom,  if  ever, 
performed  in  this  land  before.  We  have  now  special 
work  to  do,  and  duties  to  perform,  to  which  we  have 
voluntarily  bound  our  souls  by  the  solemn  oath  of  God. 
It  becomes  us,  therefore,  to  watch  over  our  hearts 
and  over  our  lives  with  a  godly  jealousy. 

The  position  we  have  ch  )sen  to  take  will  attract  to 
us  the  eyes  of  all  the  members  of  our  own  church  in  this 
land,  who  are  expected  to  follow  the  example  we  have 
thus  set  them  :  the  eves  of  all  our  brethren  in  cove- 
nant  bonds  abroad  ;  and,  to  some  extent,  few  and  feeble 
as  we  are,  the  eyes  of  the  churches  and  of  the  world  will 
be  upon  us.  Above  all,  the  eyes  of  God  are  upon  us. 
The  principles  we  espouse,  which  we  emblazon  upon  our 
banner,  and  to  which  we  pledge  ourselves  anew,  we  may 
expect  will  encounter  opposition  in  the  future,  as  they 
have  in  the  past  ;  and  who  is  sufficient  for  their 
vindication  ?  If  we  have  taken  hold  in  truth  of  God's 
covenant,  if  we  have  not  lied  to  him  with  false  tongues, 
we  may  confidently  say,  "  God  is  our  refuge  and  our 
strength."  "  Therefore,  will  not  we  fear,  though  the 
earth  be  removed."  Ps.  46  :  i,  2. 

Ungodly  nations  may  boast  of  their  power,  and  trust 
for  security  to  their  natural  resources,  their  agricultural 
riches,  their  commercial  wealth  and  glory,  their  military 
and  naval  strength,  the  intelligence,  skill,  learning  and 
valor  of  their  people.  But  the  experience  of  the  world  has 


Fidelity  to  Vows.  91 

shown  that  all  these  prove  a  poor  defence  when  the 
Most  High  arises  to  vindicate  his  own  honor  and  law, 
and  punish  the  nation  that  has  forgotten  God.  Let  it 
be  ours  to  trust  not  in  an  arm  of  flesh,  but  "  in  the  name 
of  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  the  God  of  the  armies  of  Israel," 
our  covenant  God,  who  is  our  refuge  and  our  fortress, 
and  whose  faithfulness  shall  be  our  shield  and  our 
buckler. 

We  have  been  exemplifying  a  duty  which  we  believe 
will  yet  be  recognized  as  such  by  the  churches  and  the 
nations.  And  further,  we  believe  there  is  a  time  coming 
when  the  churches  and  nations  will  consider  it  not  only 
their  duty,  but  count  it  their  highest  privilege  and  honor 
to  be  formally  in  covenant  with  God.  Prophecy  assures 
us  that  the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  become  the 
kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ.  When  this 
period  arrives  we  cannot  suppose  that  covenanting  will 
be  any  longer  either  overlooked  or  stigmatized  as  fanati- 
cal. The  nations  will  then  emulate  each  other  in 
putting  honor  upon  that  Saviour  who  is  exalted  as  a 
prince  ;  who  is  the  "  Prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth. 
King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords."  And  instead  of  in- 
citing each  other  to  rebellion,  as  now,  by  the  mutual 
counsel,  ''  Let  us  break  asunder  his  bands,  let  us  cast 
from  us  his  cords,"  their  language  will  be,  "  Come, 
and  let  us  join  ourselves  to  the  Lord  in  a  perpetual  cove- 
nant, that  shall  not  be  forgotten."  Jer.  50  :  5 

The  principles  to  which  we  have  pledged  ourselves  to- 
day can  never  fail.  Restmg  on  a  basis  of  immutable 
truth,  they  are  as  immovable  as  the  throne  of  the  Eternal. 
But,  fathers  and  brethren,  there  is  no  such  certainty  that 


92  Memorial  Volume. 

we  may  not  fail.  The  task  we  undertake  in  the  de- 
fence and  development  of  these  principles,  in  seeking  to 
bring  them  into  public  notice  and  general  acceptance,  is 
a  very  difficult  one. 

Wealth  is  against  us.  The  current  of  popular  senti- 
ment is  against  us.  Power  is  against  us.  Abuses  in 
church  and  state,  in  their  entrenched  positions  fortified 
by  time  and  use,  are  against  us.  Tongues  of  calumny, 
whetted  with  malice  and  made  to  cut  like  swords,  are 
against  us.  The  derision  and  mockery  of  the  profane 
and  ungodly  are  against  us.  The  blandishments  and  the 
terrors  of  the  world  are  against  us.  In  the  presence  of 
such  opposition,  and  before  such  an  array  of  most  bitter 
and  powerful  enemies,  who  shall  stand  }  None  but  by 
the  grace  of  God.  If,  however,  in  reliance  on  divine 
grace  we  are  true  and  faithful,  our  victory  is  certain  ;  for 
however  weak  in  ourselves,  we  are  strong  in  the  Lord, 
and  in  the  power  of  his  might.  "  Such  as  do  wickedly 
against  the  covenant  shall  be  corrupt  by  flatteries  :  but 
the  people  that  do  know  their  God  shall  be  strong,  and 
do  exploits."  Dan.  ii  :  32. 

If,  on  the  other  hand,  ''  unsteadfast  and  perfidious," 
we  fail  in  the  day  of  trial,  our  doom  is  sealed.  For- 
saking God  we  will  be  forsaken  of  him,  and  he  will 
spew  us  out  of  his  mouth.  But  God,  who  keepeth  cove- 
nant, will  not  leave  himself  without  witnesses.  If  we 
prove  unequal  to  the  work  assigned  us,  and  behave  our- 
selves falsely  in  his  covenant  ;  if  we  weakly  yield  or 
basely  betray  the  sacred  trust  committed  to  us,  it  will 
result  simply  in  transferring  it  to  other  and  worthier 
hands,  that  will   be  honored   of  God,  still   to    hold  aloft 


Fidelity    to  Vows.  93 

the  banner  of  the  covenant,  and  bear  it  forward  to  com- 
plete success  ;  enlargement  and  deliverance  will  arise 
to  the  cause  of  God  from  another  place,  but  we  and  our 
father's  house  will  be  destroyed.   Esth.  4  :  14. 

But,  fathers  and  brethren,  an  important  thought,  and 
one  that  should  take  precedence  of  all  this,  yet  remains. 
It  is  this.  Our  first  and  chief  concern  should  be  to 
know  that  we  ourselves  are  personally  in  covenant  with 
God,  having  by  faith  laid  hold  of  the  everlasting  cove- 
nant. Without  this,  our  engagements  in  the  covenant 
of  to-day  have  not  been  entered  into  with  acceptance, 
will  not  be  maintained  with  steadfastness,  or  pros- 
ecuted with  success.  But  if  God  has  made  with 
each  of  us  personally  an  everlasting  covenant,  ordered  in 
all  things  and  sure,  and  if  in  our  approach  we  have  been 
honest  and  sincere^  then  beyond  a  doubt,  in  the  federal 
transaction  of  this  day  we  have  found,  and  being  faith- 
ful will  still  find,  acceptance. 

And  now,  dear  fathers  and  brethren,  keeping  steadily 
in  view  the  high  ends  and  aims  of  our  covenant,  with 
faith  in  God,  let  us  labor  unitedly,  vigorously  and  per- 
severingly  for  their  attainment.  Sensible  of  our  un- 
worthiness  to  be  admitted  into  such  intimate  relation  to 
God,  and  fully  aware  that  we  are  dependent  on  divine 
help  for  ability  to  make  a  single  step  of  progress,  let  us 
humbly,  yet  hopefully,  commit  ourselves  and  our  work 
into  the  hands  of  a  covenant  God,  imploring  him 
graciously  to  vouchsafe  his  promised  aid,  that  we  may 
''  pay  our  vows  unto  the  Lord  now  in  the  presence  of  all 
his  people."  Ps.  116:  14. 

8* 


94 


THE  MESSIAH  EXPECTING  HIS  FOES'  SUB- 
JECTION. 

BY    REV.    S.    CARLISLE. 

Psalm    i  io:  1-4. 

This  psalm  is  Messianic,  referring  to  Messiah  in  his 
person,  offices  and  work.  This  fact  is  attested  by  in- 
ternal evidence,  and  various  allusions  to  it  in  the  New 
Testament.  It  completes  the  description  of  Messiah's 
kingdom  begun  in  the  second.  In  this,  the  Redeemer's 
right  to  rule  is  assumed,  the  nature  and  extent  of  his 
kingdom  declared,  the  relation  between  his  priestly  and 
kingly  offices  exhibited,  and  his  final  triumph  pre- 
dicted. 

David  was  the  writer  of  this  psalm.  It  is  ascribed 
to  him.  It  bears  the  impress  of  Israel's  sweet  singer, 
and  the  Master  represents  him  as  its  author.  Its  theme 
is  neither  David  nor  Solomon,  but  him  who  is  Immanuel, 
God  with  us. 

The  Lord  did  say  unto  my  Lord, 

Sit  thou  at  my  right  hand, 
Until  I  make  thy  foes  a  stool 

Whereon  thy  feet  may  stand. 

The  person  designated  "  my  Lord'"'  was  the  Messiah, 
the  Lord  Jesus,  a  being  of  infinite  excellence,  eminently 
fitted  to  rule,  "  The  brightness  of  the  father's  glory," 
David's  son  according  to  the  flesh  but  as  Immanuel  his 
Lord,  this  not  merely  as  an  individual,  but  a  king,  and 
the  representative  of  a  race  of  kings.  The  Hebrew  word 


The  Messiah  exi*ecting  his  Foes'  Subjection.    95 

translated  "  did  say"  Is  peculiar,  and  limited  to  prophetic 
declarations  Literally  It  would  be  the  dictum^  the  saying^ 
the  oracle  of  Jehovah  to  my  God.  But  here,  as  else- 
where, it  is  translated  "  said  the  Lord,"  intimating  that  the 
subsequent  expression  is  an  authoritative  declaration  of 
a  fixed  and  definite  purpose,  made  by  the  Father,  that  the 
Mediator  has  been  Invested  with  universal  authority. 
Among  the  Jews,  the  right  hand  was  the  seat  of  honor  ; 
sitting  at  the  right  hand  of  a  king  denoted  participation 
in  his  power.  Stephen,  the  proto-martyr,  saw  the  Son  of 
man  standing  on  the  right  hand  of  God,  actively  en- 
gaged. Here  the  command  Is,  "  Sit  thou  on  my  right 
hand,"  the  posture  and  position  denoting  his  Investiture 
with  mediatorial  dominion,  and  his  rare  fitness  for  Its  ad- 
ministration. This  government  he  was  to  exercise  until 
his  foes  were  subdued.  The  enthroned  Mediator  has 
enemies,  numerous,  powerful  and  confederated  together, 
but  he  will  reign  in  their  midst  in  spite  of  them. 

The  Psalmist  does  not  mean  that  when  these  enemies 
are  subdued,  then  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  be  stripped  of 
his  power.  He  does  not  say  that  he  will  reign  up  to  the 
period  in  which  the  enemies  will  be  subjugated,  and  then 
cease.  Such  an  Idea  would  be  at  variance  with  the 
teaching  of  inspiration.  The  object  of  the  psalm  Is  to 
show  that  the  designs  of  Christ's  enemies  will  be  frus- 
trated. They  will  result  differently  from  what  they  ex- 
pected. Those  who  refuse  to  acknowledge  Messiah, 
the  Prince,  ''  to  kiss  the  Son,"  Instead  of  being  success- 
ful will  be  overthrown,  while  he  will  remain  slttins:  at 
God's  right  hand.  His  kingdom  Is  an  everlasting  king- 
dom, which  shall  never  be  destroyed,  nor   left    to  other 


96  Memorial  Volume. 

people.     It  shall  break  in  pieces  all  opposing  kingdoms, 
and  shall  stand  forever. 

The  Lcrd  shall  out  cf  Zion  send 

The  rod  of  thy  great  pow'r  : 
In  midst  of  all  thine  enemies 

Be  thou  the  governor. 

God  Most  High  works  by  means  in  nature,  providence 
and  grace,  bringing  about  great  and  important  results,  not 
by  the  mere  exercise  of  arbitrary  power,  but  by  instru- 
ments. Some  understand  the  rod  of  his  strength  as  re- 
ferring to  chastisements,  judgments,  synonymous  with  the 
rod  of  iron,  spoken  of  in  the  second  psalm.  It  is  more 
likely  his  word,  the  gospel,  the  wisdom  of  God, 
divine  truth  in  its  precepts,  doctrines,  promises,  accom- 
panied by  the  Holy  Spirit  \  in  answer  to  prayer  this  is  the 
means  employed  in  converting  sinners  and  confounding 
those  who  will  not  have  this  man  to  reign  over  them.  Zion 
is  a  type  of  the  visible  church,  the  depository  of  the  truth, 
and  the  divine  agency  for  the  evangelization  of  the  world. 
This  rod  of  his  strength  goes  out  of  Zion  by  divine  ap- 
pointment. "  Go  ye  and  teach  all  nations,"  is  the  com- 
mand of  Christ  to  the  church.  The  Lord  sends  it. 
He  calls,  qualifies  and  commissions  men  to  make  it 
known,  and  crowns  their  labors  with  success  by  making 
it  effectual  in  the  conversion  of  sinners,  the  increase  and 
enlargement  of  the  church,  and  in  promoting  social 
peace,  progress  and  prosperity.  He  that  is  most  mighty 
is  here  represented  as  girding  his  sword  upon  his  thigh  and 
in  his  majesty  riding  prosperously,  because  of  truth,  and 
meekness^  and  righteousness. 


The  Messiah  expecting  his  Foes' Subjection.    97 

A  willing  people,  in  thy  day 

Of  power,  shall  come  to  thee, 
In  holy  beauties  from  morn's  womb  : 

Thy  youth  like  dew  shall  be. 

God's  people  are  a  willing  people.     They  are  made 
willing.   The  Hebrew  word  translated  "  willing"  signifies 
"  free-will    offerings. "     It  is  the   same  as  that   used  in 
Leviticus   denoting  spontaneous  gifts.     The  thought  is 
that  these  people   are  themselves  the  gifts.      It   is  not 
merely  that  thev  present  sacrifices  of  praise  and  thanks- 
giving, but  they  present  their  bodies  as  living  sacrifices. 
A  day  of  God's  power  is  a  season  when  the  doctrines  of 
the  gospel  are  preached  earnestly  and  with  fidelity  ;  when 
the  Redeemer  is  exhibited  in   the  dignity  of  his  person, 
divinely  appointed,  eminently  fitted  to  mediate,  adapted 
to  the  wants  and  necessities  of  the  race,  and  men  invited 
to  look  unto  him  and  be  saved  -,  when  the  Holy  Spirit, 
in   his  quickening,   saving  and  sanctifying  influences  is 
communicated  to  the  church,  and  men  realize  that  they 
are  sinners,  that  Jesus  is  able  and  willing  to  save  them, 
and   embrace  him  as   offered  in  the  gospel.     Such  were 
the  day  of  Pentecost,  the  period  of  the  reformation  in 
Germany  and  Scotland,  seasons  of  public  and  social  cove- 
nanting.  It  is  a  day  of  his  power,  when  the  hard  and  stony 
heart  is  taken  away.     A  willing  people  are  those  born 
again,  having  a  new  nature,  new  tastes  and  enjoyments, 
new  dispositions  of  mind,  and  new  companions.     The 
consecration  is  made  In  beauties  or  ornaments  of  holiness, 
alluding  possibly  to  the  garments  worn  by  the  high  priest 
when  he  went  into  the  holy  place  to  make  atonement 
for  the  people.    The  redeemed  are  kings  and  priests,  and 


9^  AIemorial  Volume. 

as  the  act  of  presenting  themselves  as  free-will  offerings  is 
a  priestly  one,  they  are  clothed  with  sacerdotal  vestments. 
They  wait  upon  him,  not  merely  within  the  beauty  of 
holiness,  but  they  are  clothed  with  the  garments  of  sal- 
vation, covered  with  the  robe  of  righteousness.  The 
king's  daughter  is  all  glorious  within,  her  clothing  of 
wrought  gold,  beautified  and  adorned  with  the  gifts  and 
graces  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Holiness  is  the  rare  and  dis- 
tinguishing excellence  of  God's  people.  They  are  ex- 
ceedingly beautiful,  perfect  through  "my  comeliness, 
which  I  had  put  upon  thee,  saith  the  Lord  God."  Nor  are 
they  few;  they  are  a  multitude  greater  than  any  man  can 
number,  like  the  globules  of  dew  from  the  womb  of 
the  morning.  Perchance  the  figure  refers  not  merely  to 
the  number  or  beauty  of  Messiah's  people,  but  to  their 
perpetual  succession.  As  the  dew  is  engendered  afresh 
daily  from  the  womb  of  the  morning,  so  the  perpetual 
youth  of  the  Messiah  is  expressed  by  this  figure, 
whose  body  is  thus  constantly  renewed  by  successive  ac- 
cessions to  his  people. 

The  Lord  himself  hath  made  an  oath, 

And  will  repent  him  never, 
Of  the  order  of  Melchisedec 

Thou  art  a  priest  for  ever. 

This  eminent  prophet  and  king  is  priest  of  the  Most 
High  God.  To  this  office  he  was  chosen  and  called  by 
God,  as  was  Aaron.  The  execution  of  this  office  by  the 
Messiah,  the  Prince,  is  the  central  idea  of  the  psalm  to 
which  all  the  preceding  verses  are  introductory,  and  the 
subsequent  supplementary. 


The  Messiah  expecting  his  Foes'  Subjection.    99 

Melchisedec,  after  whose  order  Jesus  was  constituted 
a  high  priest,  was  contemporary  with  Abraham.  The 
apostle  Paul  speaks  of  him,  "Without  father,  without 
mother,  without  descent,  having  neither  beginning  of 
days,  nor  end  of  life.  The  language  is  evidently  meta- 
phorical. We  know  little  of  Melchisedec's  antecedents. 
He  is  presented  in  the  page  of  sacred  story  as  insulated 
from  all  others.  Yet  we  have  reason  to  believe  that  as 
a  man  he  was  born,  lived  and  died  as  others  ;  but  in  his 
official  capacity  he  had  neither  predecessor  nor  successor, 
unlike  in  these  respects  the  Aaronic  priesthood. 

Besides  he  united  in  his  person  the  priestly  and  kingly 
offices;  he  was  the  priest  of  the  Most  High  and  king  of 
Salem.  As  a  priest,  Jesus  the  Messiah  has  atoned  for  sin 
by  the  sacrifice  of  himself,  and  he  has  entered  within  the 
vail  to  intercede  for  his  people.  His  sacrifice  is  peculiarly 
effective.  "  By  one  offering  he  hath  perfected  for  ever 
them  that  are  sanctified,"  and  his  intercession  is  no  less 
prevalent.  Him  the  Father  heareth  always.  He  did  not 
descend  from  Melchisedec,  neither  was  he  of  the  family 
of  Aaron  nor  tribe  of  Levi,  but  of  the  family  of  David  and 
tribe  of  Judah.  He  had  no  official  predecessor  and  he 
will  have  no  successor,  for  he  ever  liveth  to  make  inter- 
cession for  his  people,  and,  like  Melchisedec,  he  united 
in  his  person  the  priestly  and  kingly  offices.  He  wears 
not  merely  the  crown  but  the  mitre,  he  has  not  merely 
the  sceptre  but  censer  in  his  hand.  He  is  King  of  saints. 
King  of  Zion,  King  of  kings,  and  Priest  of  the  Most 
High  God,  and  all  this  is  secured  and  confirmed  by  the 
covenant  and  oath  of  God.  The  Lord  hath  sworn  and 
will  not  repent,  /.  e,  will  not  change.     The  covenant  by 


100  Memorial  Volume. 

which  he  has  been  constituted  a  high  priest  will  neither 
be  broken  nor  retracted  ;  it  is  confirmed  by  the  oath  of 
God.  So  that  persons  of  all  peoples,  and  kindreds,  and 
tongues,  and  nations  may  with  faith  and  confidence 
look  to  him  and  be  saved.  His  priestly  lies  at  the 
foundation  of  his  kingly  office,  "  He  humbled  himself, 
and  became  obedient  unto  death.  Wherefore,  God  also 
hath  highly  exalted  him,  and  given  him  a  name,  which  is 
above  every  name  :  that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee 
should  bow,  of  things  in  heaven,  and  things  in  earth,  and 
things  under  the  earth  ;  and  that  every  tongue  should  con- 
fess that  Jesus  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the 
Father." 

Love  him,  he  is  worthy  of  our  supreme  affections. 
Exercise  faith  in  him,  for  he  is  the  only  Saviour  of  sin- 
ners, eminently  adapted  to  the  wants  and  necessities  of 
the  race,  and  all  this  in  the  hope  and  unwavering  con- 
fidence that  in  process  of  time  he  will  subdue  all  his  and 
our  enemies,  and  receive  us  to  be  with  him  in  mansions 
ofglory.      Amen. 


lOI 


THE  LAMB  THAT  WAS  SLAIN. 

BY    REV.    S.    O.   WYLIE,  D.   D. 

Revelation  5  :  12..  "Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive 
pov/er,  and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  an<i  honor,  ana  glory,  and 
blessing." 

The  vision  recorded  in  this  chapter  and  in  the  preced- 
ing one  portrays  the  investiture  of  the  Messiah  with  the 
glories  of  royalty.  The  solemnities  attending  it  are 
very  grand  and  imposing.  The  scene  is  laid  in  heaven, 
whither  the  prophet  is  carried  in  the  Spirit.  A  throne  of 
wondrous  splendor  is  seen,  upon  which  the  Eternal 
Father  sits  in  economic  character.  The  scene  opens 
with  a  grand  service  of  worship,  in  which  cherubim 
join  with  redeemed  men  in  ascriptions  of  praise  and 
dominion  to  the  occupant  of  the  throne.  Next  is  heard 
the  challenge  of  a  strong  angel,  proclaiming  with  a  loud 
voice  :  "Who  is  worthy  to  open  the  book,  and  to  loose 
the  seals  thereof  .f"' — meaning  the  book  in  the  right  hand 
of  the  one  upon  the  throne,  and  containing  in  it  a  record 
of  all  the  counsels  and  purposes  of  Jehovah.  Silence 
reigned  in  heaven.  Not  a  voice  was  heard.  "No  man 
in  heaven,  nor  in  earth,  neither  under  the  earth,  was 
able  to  open  the  book,  neither  to  look  thereon."  Shortly 
a  Lamb,  bearing  the  marks  of  recent  slaughter,  armed 
with  omnipotent  power  and  furnished  with  treasures  of 
infinite  wisdom,  approaches  and  takes  the  book  from  the 
hand  of  him  who  sat  upon  the  throne.  The  Mediator, 
Christ,  receives  from  the  Father  all  the  counsels,  pur- 
poses, and  plans  of  the  Godhead,  that  he  may  reveal, 

9 


102  .     Memorial  Volume. 

administer,  and  execute  them.  All  power  in  heaven 
and  on  earth  is  given  unto  him.  All  things  are  delivered 
unto  him  of  his  Father,  and  no  man  knoweth  the  Father 
save  the  Son,  and  he  to  whom  the  Son  will  reveal  him. 
Immediately  upon  this  the  whole  assembly  of  the  re- 
deemed, represented  by  the  four  living  creatures  and 
^he  four  and  twenty  elders,  proclaim  their  high  satisfac- 
tion with  the  arrangement  and  assert  his  incontestable 
right  to  the  honor,  verses  9,  ro.  The  angels  who  are 
standing  behind  them,  at  a  greater  distance  from  the 
throne,  as  being  less  directly  interested  in  the  work  of 
the  Lamb,  respond  in  loud  and  joyful  voice,  the  living 
creatures  and  the  elders  joining  in  the  acclamation : 
"Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain." 

The  angels  were  many.  The  number  of  them  was 
ten  thousands  of  ten  thousands  and  thousands  of  thou- 
sands. Millions  of  them  were  there.  It  was  number 
without  number.  "Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was 
slain."  He  is  qualified  for  and  is  on  every  account 
entitled  to  pre-eminent  honor  and  glory.  Qualification 
or  fitness,  and  right  or  title,  are  the  ideas  embraced  in 
the  worthiness  of  the  Lamb.  The  Lamb  that  was  slain 
is  worthy,  and  worthy  because  he  is  the  Lamb  that  was 
slain.  "Worthy  to  receive  power,"  etc.  There  are 
seven  distinct  specifications  in  this  exalted  description  of 
dignity  and  pre-eminence.  Seven  is  the  sacred  number 
or  symbol  for  fulness  and  perfection.  The  meaning 
clearly  is  that  the  Lamb  slain,  Christ  crucified  for  sin 
and  now  arisen  from  the  dead,  is  qualified  and  entitled 
to  receive  supreme  and  universal  dominion  and  honor. 
77;^    Lamb    that    luas   slain ^  the  pre-emhient  dignity   and 


The  Lamb  that  was  Slain.  103 

honor  conferred  upon  h'lm^  and  his  worthiness  thereof^  are 
the  topics  which  He  patent  upon  the  surface  of  the  text. 

I.   The  Lamb  that  was  slain. 

I.    The  Son  of  God  incarnate  in  the  nature  of  his  people^ 
The  Lamb  slain  is  the  incarnate  Son  of  God,  the  second 
person  in  the  Trinity  manifested  in  human  flesh.     The 
incarnation  is  a  condition  precedent  to   his  being   slain. 
Death  was  competent  to  and  possible  only  in  the  case  of 
humanity.     The  Lamb  was  one  of  the  distinctive  titles 
of  the  Messiah.     John,  who   was   sent  beforehand   to 
announce  his  advent  and  declare  his  character,  recog- 
nized and  pointed  him  out  under  this  title.     John  seeth 
Jesus  coming  unto  him  and  saith,  ^^Behold  the  Lamb  of 
God.''  Again,  looking  upon  Jesus  as  he  walked,  he  saith, 
'-''Behold  the  Lamb  of  God.''    The  one  concerning  v/hom 
the  fore-runner  thus  spake,  was  the  Son  of  God.     "I 
saw,"  he  says,  ''  and  bare  record  that  this  is  the  Son  of 
God."  John  I  :  29  ;   36  :  34. 

The  title.  Son  of  God,  proclaims  his  possession  of  in- 
finite and  eternal  dignity.  He  is  divine  in  his  person  and 
in  his  nature.  He  has  not  only  the  perfections  but  the 
essence  of  the  Father,  and  is  literally  of  and  in  that  one 
indivisible  essence,  which  we  adore  as  God.  Nothing 
less  than  participation  of  nature  is  implied  in  the  relation 
of  sonship.  The  Jews  so  understood  the  matter,  for 
they  charged  him  with  blasphemy,  in  calling  God  his 
Father,  on  the  ground  that  in  doing  so  he  made  himself 
^^«^/ with  God.  He  repudiated  the  charge  while  admit- 
ting the  claim.  Equality  in  nature  with  the  parent  is  an 
essential  condition  of  sonship.  The  Son  of  God  inherits 
by  generation  the  Father's  nature.     The  argument  stated 


104  Memorial  Volume. 

in  the  first  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  for  the 
superiority  of  the  Son  over  the  angels  rests  on  this  prin- 
ciple or  axiom  of  truth.  "Being  made  so  much  better 
than  the  angels,  as  he  hath  by  inheritance  obtained  a  more 
excellent  name  than  they.  For  unto  which  of  the  an- 
gels said  he  at  any  time,  Thou  art  my  son,  this  day  have 
I  begotten  thee.  And  again,  I  will  be  to  him  a  Father, 
and  he  shall  be  to  me  a  Son,"  verses  4,  5.  Christ  has 
obtained  by  inheritance  the  name  Son  of  God.  He  in- 
herits it  by  an  eternal,  necessary  and  ineffable  generation. 
The  angels  are  sons  of  God,  but  not  by  inheritance  of 
nature.  In  perfect  accord  with  this  exposition  of  John's 
language,  as  applied  to  the  Messiah,  are  many  other 
declarations  of  Scripture.  He  is  called  the  fellow  of 
Jehovah,  the  image  of  the  invisible  God,  the  brightness 
of  the  glory  and  the  express  image  of  the  person  of  the 
Father  ;  was  in  the  form  of  God,  and  thought  it  not  rob- 
bery to  be  equal  with  God.  Language  has  no  meaning, 
and  leaves  us  to  grope  our  way  through  mists  of  uncer- 
tainty, if  such  expressions  as  these  fail  to  convey  the  idea 
of  essential  and  proper  deity. 

But  the  Son  of  God  was  also  the  Son  of  man.  He 
was  God  manifest  in  the  flesh.  In  the  fulness  of  time 
God  sent  forth  his  Son,  made  of  a  woman.  The  Word 
was  made  flesh.  He  took  on  him  the  seed  of  Abraham. 
A  manhood,  perfect  in  all  its  parts,  was  assumed  by  the 
Son,  and  by  a  mystery  of  wisdom  and  power,  which  we 
dare  not  attempt  to  fathom,  was  united  with  his  divine 
and  eternal  person.  He  was  God-man,  equally  divine 
and  human  at  the  same  time.  Out  of  this  fact  it  arises 
that  the  person  of  Jesus  may  be  designated   from   one 


The  Lamb  that  was  Slaik.  105 

nature,  while  the  predicate  belongs  to  the  opposite  na- 
ture, or  to  the  whole  person  as  God-man.  The  church 
was  purchased  with  the  blood  of  God,  with  the  blood  ot 
him  who  was  God  and  man  at  the  same  time.  Under 
this  complex  character  he  was  contemplated  by  the  saints 
ages  before  the  period  of  the  incarnation.  "Unto  us," 
says  the  church,  "unto  us  a  child  is  born,  unto  us  a 
son  is  given,  and  his  name  shall  be  called  Wonderful, 
The  mighty  God,  The  everlasting  Father."      Isa.  9  :  6. 

2.  The  incarnate  Son  of  God^  a  true  and  perfect  sacrifice 
for  the  sin  of  his  people.  He  is  called  the  Lamb  more  with 
reference  to  his  death  than  his  life.  Whether  the  allu- 
sion is  directly  to  the  passover  lamb  or  to  the  lamb  of 
daily  oftering  in  connection  with  the  service  of  the  Jewish 
Church,  the  idea  of  sacrifice  is  the  dominant  one.  He 
was  the  Lamb  which  had  been  slain.  The  lamb  of  the 
passover  was  killed  as  a  sacrifice  and  so  too  was  the 
lamb  for  daily  presentation.  "  Behold.^''  says  John, 
pointing  to  Jesus,  "behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  which 
taketh  away  the  sin  of  the  world." 

The  suffering  and  death  of  Christ  were  strictly  and 
properly  sacrificial  in  their  nature.  Penal  substitution  is 
the  one  all  pervading  idea  of  the  cross.  In  his  death 
the  sin  of  an  elect  world  received  the  full  measure  of  its 
punishment.  He  undertook  for  his  people  ;  engaged  to 
appear  and  answer  for  them  at  the  bar  of  justice  ;  offered 
himself  as  their  surety  and  was  accepted  in  their  room. 
Their  guilt  was  charged  to  his  account  and  punished  in 
his  person.  The  penalty  of  death  was  executed  upon 
him  in  all  its  tremendous  severity,  and  full  satisfaction 
thereby  given  to  justice  in  her  highest  and  most  inexor- 


io6  Memorial  Volume. 

able  claims.  This  is  the  Bible  theory  of  the  death  of 
Christ  and  the  only  one  which  meets  and  satisfies  the 
facts  and  teachings  of  the  sacred  record. 

The  Messiah  was  "cut  off,  but  not  for  himself." 
"He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,  he  was  bruised 
for  our  iniquities."  "  He  hath  made  him  to  be  sin  for  us." 
He  died  "for  our  sins."  He  "bare  our  sins  in  his  own 
body  on  the  tree."  He  "hath  redeemed  us  from  the 
curse  of  the  law,  being  made  a  curse  for  us."  If  all 
this  does  not  mean  penal  suffering,  or  suffering  procuring 
satisfaction  to  justice  and  expiation  of  guilt,  then  let 
some  one  tell  us  in  what  other  terms  it  would  be  possible 
to  give  expression  to  these  ideas. 

It  was  not  a  death  merely  which  occurred  upon  the 
cross.  The  Lamb  of  God  did  not  die  simply.  He  was 
slain.  It  was  a  great  execution.  He  perished  as  a  vic- 
tim upon  the  altar.  It  was  a  sacrifice  offered  in  obe- 
dience to  the  stern  behests  of  eternal  law  and  justice. 
At  the  command  of  the  everlasting  God  the  sword  was 
unsheathed  ;  the  Lamb  was  slain,  and  the  sin  of  the 
world  taken  away  by  the  complete  and  perfect  expiation 
of  its  guilt.  Christ,  through  the  Eternal  Spirit,  offered 
himself  without  spot  unto  God.  He  hath  put  away  sin 
by  the  sacrifice  of  himself. 

3.  The  incarnate  Son  of  God  arisen  from  the  dead.  The 
Lamb  that  was  slain  is  the  language  of  the  many  angels. 
The  Lamb  of  God  once  slain  in  sacrifice  for  sin,  is  now 
alive  and  shall  die  no  more.  The  great  truth  is  proclaimed 
by  himself.  "I  am  he  that  liveth,  and  was  dead  ;  and 
behold,  I  am  alive  for  evermore."  Rev.  I  :  18. 

The   question  as   to   the   resurrectioii  of  Christ   is  a 


The  Lamb  that  was  Slain.  107 

question  as  to  a  matter  of  fact.  History  asserts  it,  and  its 
truth  or  falsity  must  be  determined  by  an  impartial  appli- 
cation uf  the  canons  recognized  in  testing  the  validity  of 
historical  evidence.  All  human  laws  assume  that  the 
testimony  of  competent  witnesses,  not  less  than  two  or 
three,  presents  an  unchallengeable  basis  for  belief.  The 
conviction  and  assent  of  the  mind  to  uncontradicted  tes- 
timony are  compelled  by  its  own  intuitions.  It  cannot 
withhold  its  belief  even  if  it  would.  The  argument  for 
the  resurrection  of  Christ,  resting  upon  the  application  of 
this  principle  is  unanswerably  convincing.  It  is  strongly 
stated  by  Paul  in  the  15th  chapter  of  ist  Corinthians. 
The  actual  occurrence  of  the  resurrection  is  proved  by 
the  undeniable  appearing  of  Christ  after  his  death  and 
burial.  He  appeared  to  Peter  and  then  to  the  twelve, 
to  more  than  five  hundred  brethren  at  one  time,  to 
James  separately,  to  all  the  apostles,  and  last  of  all  to 
Paul  himself.  These,  indeed,  were  not  all  the  instances 
of  manifestation  made  by  our  Lord  after  his  resurrection. 
They  are  enough,  however,  for  the  argument.  There 
never  has  been  since  the  beginning  of  history  and  there 
never  will  be  until  the  end  of  it,  another  event  resting 
upon  evidence  surer  and  more  unchallengeable,  than  that 
of  the  resurrection  of  Christ. 

The  question  is  not  one  of  merely  human  testimonv. 
The  witnesses  are  not  men  only.  Angels,  ten  thousands 
of  ten  thousands  of  them,  testify  to  its  truth.  Could 
they  be  mistaken  when  they  declared,  that  the  Lamb  in 
the  midst  of  the  throne  was  the  Lamb  which  had  been 
slain  upon  Calvary?  Impossible  that  they  could  be. 
They  knew  him  well.     They  were  present  at  his  birth  ; 


io8  Memorial  Volume. 

they  were  with  him  in  the  desert ;  they  beheld  him  ex- 
piring upon  the  cross  ;  they  saw  him  when  he  was  slain  ; 
they  kept  guard  over  the  body  in  the  sepulchre;  they 
were  present  when  he  arose  ;  and  they  went  with  him 
through  the  gates  of  glory  and  stood  by  as  admiring  spec- 
tators when  he  received  his  crown  and  took  his  place  in 
the  midst  of  the  throne.  They  could  not  be  mistaken 
when  they  proclaimed  him  to  be  the  same  Lamb  which 
had  been  slain. 

The  hypothesis  of  the  resurrection  furnishes  the  only 
satisfactory  explanation  of  the  success  and  triumph  of  the 
gospel  and  of  the  institution  and  observance  of  the 
Christian  Sabbath  on  the  first  day  of  the  week.  The 
success  of  the  gospel  was  distinctly  staked  upon  the  truth 
of  the  resurrection,  to  stand  or  fall  with  it ;  and  the  uni- 
versal observance  of  the  first  day  of  the  week  as  the 
memorial  of  its  occurrence  is  inexplicable  if  no  resur- 
rection took  place. 

We  preach  the  doctrine  of  Christ's  resurrection  as  a 
primary  principle  of  the  gospel.  It  is  fundamental  in  the 
Christian  scheme,  a  vital  element  in  the  faith  which  saves. 
There  is  and  can  be  no  salvation  without  it.  We  are 
saved  by  his  life  not  less  than  by  his  death.  He  was 
raised  for  our  justification.  "And  if  Christ  be  not  raised 
your  faith  is  vain  ;  ye  are  yet  in  your  sins."  The  res- 
urrection is  the  only  certification  of  the  approval  and 
acceptance  of  an  atoning  sacrifice  in  heaven.  If  there 
is  no  resurrection,  then  there  is  no  atonement  for  sin,  and 
if  no  atonement,  no  justification  and  pardon,  and  if  none 
of  these,  then  faith  in  the  gospel  is  utterly  fruitless  and 
vain.     In   that   case,  we   are  still  under  condemnation, 


The  Lamb  that  was  Slain.  109 

and  but  one  issue  remains,  and  that  is  that  we  die  in  our 
sins. 

II.  The  pre-eminence  to  which  Christ  is  advanced. 
Under  this  head  the  following  specifications  occur  : 

I.  He  is  the  only  acknowledged  advocate  of  his  people. 
The  advocacy  of  Christ  is  real,  not  simply  and  only 
figurative.  He  is  called  an  advocate,  and  it  is  by  no 
mere  figure  of  speech  that  the  designation  is  applied  to 
him.  He  is  a  real,  living,  acting  advocate,  and  is  ac- 
knowledged as  such  in  the  high  chancery  of  heaven. 
He  is  the  only  one  that  is.  His  right  to  plead  there 
rests  upon  incontestable  grounds,  and  has  never  been 
challenged  by  the  judge  at  whose  bar  he  appears. 

The  business  of  the  advocate  is  to  present  the  case  of 
his  client  before  the  judge,  and  claim  for  him  a  decision 
under  the  requirements  of  law.  The  priesthood  of 
Christ  is  an  everlasting  priesthood,  and  the  function  of 
it  peculiar  to  the  heavenly  state  consists  in  managing 
the  case  of  the  saints  before  God.  The  writer  to  the 
Hebrew^s  says :  "  Christ  is  entered  into  heaven  itself 
now  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us."  ch. 
9  :  24,  The  language  is  forensic.  He  appears  as  an  ad- 
vocate in  the  presence  of  a  judge.  The  advocacy  of 
Christ  in  heaven  is  a  necessity  for  his  people,  and  is  in- 
dispensable to  the  success  of  his  atoning  work.  Satan 
appears  against  them  as  he  did  in  the  case  of  Job,  and 
prefers  charges  of  guilt.  On  this  account  he  is  called 
the  adversary  and  the  accuser  of  the  brethren.  When 
Joshua,  the  high-priest,  stood  before  the  angel  of  the  Lord, 
pleading  for  the  restoration  of  favor  to  the  afilicted  and 
captive  church,  Satan  was  present  to  resist  the  application. 


no  Memorial  Volume. 

He  demanded  her  condemnation^  and  supported  the  de- 
mand by  pointing  to  her  garments  on  the  person  of  her 
representative,  Joshua,  defiled  and  filthy  with  sin.  Then 
arose  her  powerful  advocate,  and  rebuked  the  adversary 
and  accuser  by  exhibiting  his  own  robe  of  righteousness, 
spotless  and  pure,  called  also  the  righteousness  of  the 
saints.  The  plea  prevailed,  for  immediately  the  decision 
came  forth,  ••'  Behold,  I  have  caused  thine  iniquity  to 
pass  from  thee,  and  I  will  clothe  thee  with  change  of 
raiment."  Zech.  3:4.  The  devil  impleads  the  saints 
at  the  bar  of  God.  He  arraigns  them  as  sinners,  and 
claims  that  according  to  law  they  ought  to  be  surrendered 
to  him  as  part  of  his  wicked  and  accursed  crew.  Against 
all  this,  the  Advocate  with  the  Father  puts  in  the  counter- 
plea  that  he  is  their  surety  and  substitute  ;  that  the  law 
exacted  satisfaction  from  him  ;  that  he  suffered  the  pen- 
alties of  justice  in  their  room  ;  that  in  him  they  have 
righteousness  and  are  entitled  to  exemption  from  the 
agonies  of  the  curse.  "  If  any  man  sin  we  have  an  ad- 
vocate v/ith  the  Father,  Jesus  Christ  the  righteous : 
and  he  is  the  propitiation  for  our  sins."  i  John  2  :  i,  2. 

To  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  belongs  the  distinction  of 
being  the  only  advocate  of  his  people.  There  is  one 
mediator  and  only  one.  The  saints  need  no  other.  The 
admirable  skill  with  which  he  is  qualified  to  manage 
their  interests  and  the  irresistible  efficacy  of  his  plea,  his 
own  perfect  and  finished  righteousness  and  merit,  insure 
success  in  every  case.  What  need  for  angels  or  saints 
to  pray  for  us  in  heaven  when  we  have  an  advocate  there 
so  divinely  excellent  and  powerful  as  Jesus  ?  An  incident 
mentioned  in  connection  with  the  translation  of  Elijah 


The  Lamb  that  was  Slain.  hi 

is  strongly  suggestive  on  this  point.  As  they  neared  the 
place  where  they  were  to  be  parted  asunder,  the  prophet 
said  to  Elisha,  "  Ask  what  I  shall  do  for  thee,  before  I 
he  taken  aiuay  fro?n  thee.^^  If  he  had  any  request  to 
offer  let  him  make  it  now,  before  he  was  taken  away. 
Afterwards  it  would  be  too  late.  Evidently  it  never  oc- 
curred to  Elijah  that  he  was  to  be  intercessor  for  Elisha 
or  any  one  else  in  the  heavenly  place  into  which  he  was 
shortly  to  enter. 

What  transcendent  dignity  and  honor  in  appearing  be- 
fore God  as  the  representative  of  the  countless  hosts  of 
the  redeemed;  in  being  acknowledged  as  their  only  ad- 
vocate, and  approved  in  the  infinite  wisdom  and  skill 
with  which  every  case  is  conducted  ! 

2.  He  is  invested  with  the  government  of  the  redeemed 
and  sanctified  church.  The  church,  properly  so  named, 
is  the  community  of  the  fait'hful.  It  is  made  up  of  the 
called^  those  who  are  called  by  the  word  and  Spirit  of 
God,  into  the  faith  and  fellowship  of  the  gospel.  The 
church  is  the  community  of  the  saved,  denominated  also 
the  righteous  nation,  the  holy  nation,  the  peculiar  people, 
and  the  people  of  God  ! 

In  the  covenant  of  grace,  Christ  stood  as  the  repre- 
sentative and  head  of  all  this  number.  He  became 
answerable  for  them  before  the  law,  and  engaged  to 
satisfy  all  its  demands  against  them.  To  this  extent  his 
relation  as  head  to  the  church  is  essential  to  his  mediator- 
ship.  He  could  not  have  been  a  mediator  for  man  with- 
out it.  But  what  is  referred  to  particularly  at  present  is 
his  relation  to  the  church  as  her  governing  head.  The 
supreme  direction  and  control  of  all  her  interests  are  con- 


112  Memorial  Volume. 

fided  to  him.  He  is  King  of  Zion.  He  is  called  her  Lord. 
The  government  of  the  church  is  upon  his  shoulders.  He 
sustains  the  whole  responsibility  of  it.  The  church  is 
his  proper  and  special  kingdom.  Jerusalem  is  the  city  of 
-the  great  King — the  metropolis  of  his  spiritual  empire,  and 
here  he  has  established  his  throne.  Jerusalem  shall  be 
called  "  the  throne  of  the  Lord."  "  Thy  God,  O  Zion  ! 
reigns  for  ever  and  ever." 

In  administering  the  authority  which  belongs  to  him  as 
head  of  the  church,  he  displays  his  glorious  wisdom, 
power  and  love.  He  gives  her  existence  and  perpetuates 
her  life  in  the  regeneration  of  elect  sinners.  He  clothes 
her  with  organization  by  furnishing  her  with  officers,  in- 
stitutions and  laws.  He  protects  her  in  the  possession 
and  exercise  of  her  chartered  immunities  and  rights  ;  de- 
fends her  against  the  conspiracies  of  her  enemies,  and 
displays  in  her  his  glory  to  the  admiration  and  delight 
of  the  whole  intelligent  universe.  "  Out  of  Zion,  the 
perfection   of  beauty,  God,  hath   shined."   Psalm  50  :  2. 

It  is  not,  however,  over  a  merely  external  organiza- 
tion that  he  rules.  His  dominion  in  Zion  is  pre- 
eminently spiritual.  Immortal  souls  are  the  subjects  of 
his  sceptre.  He  reigns  by  the  power  of  his  word,  grace 
and  Spirit  in  every  regenerated  heart,  conquering  its 
enmity,  subduing  its  pride  and  subjecting  every  thought 
to  the  obedience  of  fal^h. 

What  matchless  and  surpassing  honor  and  glory  are 
here  !  The  Lamb  slain  is  advanced  to  supreme  govern- 
ment and  dominion  over  the  church.  His  subjects  are 
many,  great  multitudes,  such  as  no  man  can  number. 
The  principalities  and  powers  in  the  heavenly  places  are 


The  Lamb  that  was  Slain.  113 

awed  by  the  displays  of  his  glorious  majesty,  wisdom, 
power  and  holiness.  Out  of  Zion  our  King  shines  in 
such  splendors  of  royalty  as  surpass  in  brightness  the 
great  luminaries  of  heaven  themselves.  "The  moon 
shall  be  confounded,  and  the  sun  ashamed,  when  the 
Lord  of  Hosts  shall  reign  in  mount  Zion,  and  in  Jerusa- 
lem, and  before  his  ancients,  gloriously."  Isa.  24 :  23. 
"  The  stone  which  the  builders  refused  is  become  the 
head  stone  of  the  corner.  This  is  the  Lord's  doing ;  it 
is  marvellous  in  our  eyes."    Ps.  118:  22,  33. 

3.  He  is  invested  with  headship  over  the  nations.  "  The 
Lamb  that  was  slain,"  is  Lord  not  of  the  church  only 
claiming  and  receiving  her  homage  and  worship,  but 
Lord  of  all.  His  dominion  extends  to  and  over  all 
associations  whatever.  He  administers  the  whole  govern- 
ment and  law  of  Jehovah,  and  all  organizations  of  men, 
whether  ecclesiastical  or  civil,  are  put  in  subjection  to  his 
authority.  Among  the  grandest  of  these  are  the  nations 
of  the  earth,  and  of  them  the  arisen  Messiah  is  the  ap- 
pointed governor  and  ruler.  By  the  decree  of  the  Eternal 
Father  he  is  constituted  the  head  of  the  nations. 

In  view  of  the  explicit  teachings  of  the  Bible,  and  of 
the  absolute  necessities  of  the  case,  it  is  amazing  that  any 
doubt  could  have  ever  arisen  on  this  point.  Jesus  Christ 
is  called  the  ^'' Prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth. ^"^  L^pon 
his  vesture  and  upon  his  thigh  stands  out  the  inscription, 
^''King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords.^'  Earth's  kings  and 
judges  are  enjoined  to  profess  allegiance  and  loyalty  to 
Messiah  and  his  throne,  and  are  threatened  with  de- 
struction  in   case   of  refusal.      "  Kiss  the  Son^  lest   he  be 

10 


1 14  Memorial  Volume. 

angr)\  and  ye  perish  from  the  way^  when  his  wrath  is  yindled 
but  a  little.'"  Ps.  2:12.  It  is  not  an  idle  threatening. 
History  records  its  execution  in  the  utter  subversion 
and  ruin  of  great  empires  and  thrones.  What  a  striking 
illustration  of  it  is  furnished  in  the  overthrow  of  the 
pagan  Roman  empire,  accomplished  by  the  events 
unfolded  in  connection  with  the  opening  of  the  apoca- 
lyptic sixth  seal !  A  great  earthquake  shook  the  mighty 
fabric  into  pieces,  and  it  disappeared  under  a  suc- 
cession of  crushing  calamities  and  judgments.  The 
sun  was  vailed  with  sackcloth,  the  moon  bathed 
with  blood,  the  stars  fell,  the  heavens  departed  as  the 
rolling  up  of  a  scroll,  and  the  mountains  and  the  isl- 
ands fled  out  of  their  places.  The  faces  of  kings,  and 
captains  and  mighty  men,  of  bond  and  free,  grew  black 
with  dismay  and  terror,  as  they  sent  up  the  despairing  cry, 
"  Mountains  fall  on  us,  hills  cover  us."  And  from 
what  did  they  seek  to  be  hidden  and  sheltered  in  that 
fearful  hour?  From  the  anger  and  wrath  of  the  Lamb. 
The  Lamb  that  was  slain  has  power  over  the  nations, 
and  he  will  rule  them  with  a  rod  of  iron,  and  as  the 
vessels  of  the  potter  shall  they  be  broken  to  shivers.  The 
Lord  at  the  right  hand  of  Jehovah  shall  strike  through 
kings  in  the  day  of  his  wrath. 

The  honor  of  the  Redeemer  is  unspeakably  magnified 
in  his  dominion  over  the  nations.  This  honor  is  ascribed 
to  him  by  the  angels  and  the  redeemed  assembly,  who 
foresee  and  anticipate  the  hour  when  all  kings  shall  fall 
down  before  and  all  nations  shall  serve  him. 

4.    He  is  commissioned  to  preside  in  the  final  judgment  of 
the  world.     The  certainty  of  a  future  and  general  judg- 


The  Lamb  that  was  Slain.  115 

ment,  in  which  the  character  and  destiny  of  the  human 
race  will  be  finally  passed  upon,  rests  upon  the  surest 
grounds.  All  men  believe  it,  whether  they  know  and 
admit  it  or  not.  It  is  an  intuition  of  the  soul,  one  of 
the  inborn  and  ineradicable  convictions  of  our  moral 
nature.  The  voice  of  conscience  proclaims  it.  It  is  in- 
terwoven with  accusing  thoughts.  Nothing  but  the 
foreboding  of  future  retribution  and  apprehension  of 
punishment  hereafter  can  account  for  those  guilty  and 
remorseful  recollections  and  feelings,  which  at  times  seize 
upon  and  torment  the  soul.  They  are  the  witness  of 
conscience  to  the  certainty  of  a  judgment.  This  is  the 
underlying  principle  of  Paul's  argument  in  the  14th  and 
15th  verses  of  the  2d  chapter,  and  in  the  15th  and  i6th 
verses  of  the  3d  chapter  of  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans. 
Some  may  say,  that  if  human  wickedness  becomes  an  oc- 
casion of  illustrating  the  truth  of  God,  it  would  not  be 
right  and  just  in  God  to  punish  sin.  This  objection  the 
apostle  repels  with  abhorrence,  and  declares  that  God 
cannot  be  unrighteous  in  taking  vengeance,  for,  in  that 
case,  how  could  he  judge  the  world,  a  matter  which  is 
assumed  as  not  admitting  of  question.  He  adds,  "  I 
speak  as  a  man,"  /.  e.  as  all  men  do  on  this  subject.  In 
saying  that  God  will  judge  the  world,  and  that  he  will 
punish  sin,  he  only  gives  expression  to  the  universal  con- 
viction and  feeling  of  mankind.      ''  I  speak  as  a  man." 

Paul  reasoned  in  the  presence  of  Felix  concerning  the 
fact  of  2i  judgment  to  come.  He  proved  it,  as  we  may  sup- 
pose, from  the  nature  and  reason  of  things,  from  ex- 
traordinary dispeijsations  of  judgments,  from  the  unequal 
distributions  of  the   present  state,  and   the  necessity,  on 


ii6  Memorial  Volume. 

grounds  of  justice,  of  putting  an  open  and  eternal  dis- 
tinction and  difference  between  right  and  wrong,  be- 
tween him  that  serveth  God  and  him  that  serveth  him 
not. 

But  aside  from  the  suggestions  of  nature,  reason 
and  conscienee,  revelation  not  only  discloses  the  judg- 
ment as  a  fact,  but  makes  known  the  various  attending 
incidents  of  the  august  events.  Enoch  prophecies  con- 
cerning it  ;  Job  speaks  of  it  ;  David  in  the  psalms  re- 
fers to  it  ;  Solomon  warns  of  its  certainty  ;  and  Paul 
testifies  that  God  "  hath  appointed  a  day,  in  the  which 
he  will  judge  the  world  in  righteousness." 

The  most  conspicuous  personage  in  that  great  day  will 
be  Jesus  Christ.  "The  Lamb  that  was  slain"  will  oc- 
cupy the  throne  of  judgment.  To  the  Mediator,  Christ, 
is  committed  the  administration  of  the  future  and  final 
judgment  of  the  world."  He  is  "ordained  of  God  to 
be  the  judge  of  quick  and  dead."  Acts  lo  142.  God 
shall  "judge  the  world  in  righteousness  by  that  man 
whom  he  hath  ordained."  Acts  17:31.  "We  must 
all  appear  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ."  2  Cor. 
5:  10. 

The  honor  of  judging  the  world  is  transcendent  honor. 
It  is  the  highest  and  most  honorable  ofiice  in  the  gift  of 
God.  The  exercise  of  it  demands  omniscience,  om- 
nipotence and  immutable  rectitude.  When  he  shall 
come  in  the  clouds  of  heaven,  arrayed  in  the  uncreated 
glory  of  his  Father,  and  attended  by  glorious  hosts  of 
angels,  to  sit  upon  the  throne  whence  he  shall  pronounce 
the  doom  of  the  assembled  nations  of  the  world,  the 
Messiah's  honor  will  be  complete. 


The  Lamb  that  was  Slain.  117 

III.  The  worthiness  of  the  Lamb  for  the  great  honor 
to  which  he  is  advanced. 

I.  He  is  worthy  to  be  the  only  advocate  of  his  people 
in  heaven,  because  he  offered  the  only  sacrifice  for  their  sin 
on  earth:  The  worthiness  of  Christ  to  appear  and  act  in 
heaven  as  the  advocate  of  his  people  finds  in  this  fact 
the  most  complete  justification.  He  deserves  to  be  their 
advocate,  and  he  is  qualified  for  the  office,  in  that  he  of- 
fered himself  as  a  sacrifice  for  sin  upon  the  cross.  The 
one  who  expiated  guilt  is  the  one  who  is  worthy  to  plead 
for  deliverance  from  all  its  penal  consequences  and 
effects. 

Between  the  atonement  and  intercession  of  Christ, 
there  exists  a  real  and  most  intimate  relation.  The 
former  lays  the  foundation  for  the  latter.  The  entrance 
of  Christ  into  heaven  is  by  virtue  and  in  pursuance  of  his 
sacrifice  for  sin.  It  was  not  without  sacrificial  and  aton- 
ing blood  that  he  entered  into  heaven,  after  the  manner 
of  the  high-priest,  passing  with  the  blood  of  the  sacrifice 
into  the  holiest  of  all.  The  Advocate  with  the  Father  is 
the  propitiation  for  our  sins,  and  it  is  this  fact  which  gives 
efficiency  and  success  to  his  advocacy.  The  propitiation 
is  the  ground  of  his  pleading  ;  it  is  the  irresistible  argu- 
ment which  he  uses  in  pressing  his  case  with  the  judge. 
Appearing  in  the  presence  of  God  as  the  Lamb  that  was 
slain^  the  blood  of  the  sacrifice  pleads.  The  pierced 
side,  the  perforated  hands  and  feet,  the  torn  and  lacerated 
brow  are  the  pleas  of  the  Advocate.  The  blood  of  Jesus 
speaketh — yes,  atoning  blood  has  a  voice  in  heaven, 
which  cannot  but  be  heard. 

Christ  is  the  only  sacrifice,  and,  therefore,  the  only 

10* 


ii8  Memorial  Volume. 

intercessor  and  advocate.  The  only  sacrifice  for  sin,  ac- 
cepted and  approved  in  heaven,  is  thai  of  Christ.  "  Is 
Christ  divided?  IV as  Paul  crucified  for  you?  Or  were  ye 
baptised  in  the  name  af  Paul?''  Can  Paul,  or  Mary,  or 
any  of  the  saints  support  an  advocacy  by  the  plea  of 
crucifixion?  What  would  be  said  if,  before  the  throne, 
they  dared  to  claim  with  Christ  the  honors  of  the  atone- 
ment ?  Heaven  itself  would  be  filled  with  blackness  in 
token  of  its  frown,  and  bolts  of  lightning,  shooting  forth 
from  the  throne  of  the  Almighty,  hurled  against  them. 
But  amid  all  the  fearful  conflict  and  uproar,  the  in- 
numerable myriads  of  angels  and  redeemed  would  shout 
louder   and  louder,  ''^Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain.'* 

The  Redeemer  is  mighty,  and  he  will  plead  our  cause. 
Our  Redeemer,  and  he  only,  is  worthy  to  be  our  advocate. 
Abel  is  not  worthy,  for  his  blood  does  not  speak  in 
heaven  ;  Paul  is  not  worthy,  for  he  was  not  crucified  for 
sinners  ;  but  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  is  worthy,  for  he 
hath  taken  away  the  sin  of  his  people. 

2.  Worthy  of  the  government  of  the  church  because 
he  redeems  and  conquers  the  church.  The  government  of 
the  church,  dominion  and  rule  in  and  over  her,  belongs 
to  Christ  by  right  both  of  purchase  and  conquest.  He 
has  the  right  to  rule  the  people  whom  he  has  redeemed 
and  conquered  to  himself.  Redemption  and  conquest 
establish  an  unchallengeable  right  to  sovereignty. 

The  elect  of  God  are  by  nature  in  the  same  state  of 
condemnation  and  wrath  as  others.  They  are  children 
of  wrath.  Judgment  to  condemnation  has  passed  upon 
them.  Justice  holds  them  as  prisoners,  ready  to  execute 
upon  them  the  sentence  of  the  law.     At  this  juncture 


The  Lamb  that  was  Slain.  119 

Jesus  passes  by  and,  beholding  their  guilt  and  wretched- 
ness, profFers  a  ransom.      It  was  his  life  for  theirs.     The 
offer  was  accepted.      He  gave  his  life  a  ransom  and  by 
his  blood  redeemed  them  from  everlasting  condemnation 
and  death.      The  church  is  accordingly  called  2.  purchased 
Jlock^  and  the  price  of  the  purchase  was  blood.      We  are 
redeemed  not  with  corruptible  things^  but  with  the  precious 
blood  o^  Christ.     Unwilling  still  to  own  him  as  Lord,  for 
through  the  corruption  of  nature  the  mind  is  alienated 
from  God,  he  conquers  the  will  and  subdues  the  rebellion 
of  the  heart.     By   the  mighty  power  of  his   word   and 
Spirit,  he  brings  down  proud  imagination  and  reduces  the 
soul  to  the  obedience  of  faith  in  Christ.     The  kingdom 
of  righteousness,  peace  and  joy,  is  set  up  in  the  regenera- 
ted heart  and  protected  and  preserved  by  his  omnipotent 
power.     The  enemies  of  the  soul  are  restrained  from  do- 
ing them  harm,  and  at  length  completely  subjugated  and 
destroyed.     The  Lord  doth  guard  the  faithful.      He  will 
scatter  the  people  that  delight  in  war.      He  will  keep  the 
feet  of  his  saints  and  the  wicked  shall  be  silent  in  darkness. 
The  one  who  does  all  this  for  the  church  is  worthy  to 
be  her  king.     He  is  entitled  to  the  homage  and  obedience 
of  those  whom  he  has  redeemed  from  wrath  and  conquered 
and  rescued  from  the  power  of  the   devil.       Upon   this 
ground  his  claim  is  distinctly  rested  by  himself.    Thus  in 
Hosea,  13th  chapter,  he  says  :  "  O  Israel,  thou  hast  de- 
stroyed thyself;   but  in    me  is  thine  help.      /  will  be  thy 
King.''  The  one  who  helps  and  delivers  Israel,  is  Israel's 
rightful  king.      Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  be 
the  king  and  head  of  his  saved  people.      He  has  ransomed 
them  from  the  grave  ;  he  has  redeemed  them  from  death, 


120  Memorial  Volume. 

"O  death,  I  will  be  thy  plagues;  O  grave,  I  will  be  thy 
destruction  ;  repentance  shall  be  hid  from  mine  eyes.'' 
The  Lord  is  our  law-giver,  judge  and  king,  and  he  will 
save  us. 

3.  Worthy  of  the  headship  of  the  nations  because  he 
gathers  his  people  out  of  all  nations.  They  are  in  the  world 
and  naturally  form  part  of  it.  '^  We  know,"  says  John, 
that  "the  whole  world  lieth  in  wickedness."  They  re- 
main in  it,  are  partakers  of  its  spirit,  and  under  its  deadly 
influence  and  dominion  until  delivered  by  the  power  of 
Christ.  He  gave  himself  for  us  that  he  might  deliver  us 
from  this  present  evil  world. 

The  Lamb  was  slain  to  the  intent  that  the  elect  might 
be  gathered  out  of  all  nations  into  the  kingdom  of  God. 
The  memorable  prophecy  of  Caiaphas  makes  distinct  men- 
tion of  this  as  the  great  end  to  be  accomplished  by  his 
decease.  '*■  He  prophesied  that  Jesus  should  die  for  that 
nation  ;  and  not  for  that  nation  only,  but  that  also  he 
should  gather  together  in  one  the  children  of  God  that 
were  scattered  abroad."  John  li:  51,  52.  Men  are 
drawn  to  him  from  all  quarters  by  the  power  of  the  cross. 
It  is  not,  however,  until  he  goes  in  pursuit  of  them  and 
reveals  to  them  by  his  word  and  Spirit  its  overpowering 
and  melting  attraction,  that  they  are  drawn.  He  calls 
them  out  of  the  world,  calls  them  from  the  uttermost 
parts  of  the  earth,  and,  in  response  to  the  call,  they  fl:ock 
to  him  out  of  every  kindred,  and  tongue,  and  people  and 
nation. 

The  conversion  and  subjugation  of  the  elect  to  Christ 
is  a  direct  act  of  aggression  upon  the  devil's  kingdom. 
By  a  judicial  dispensation  of  God  they  are  his  lawful  cap- 


The  Lamb  that  was  Slain.  121 

tives.  Satan  holds  them  by  the  right  which  the  jailor  holds 
the  prisoner  placed  in  his  custody.  But  the  lawful  cap- 
tive must  be  delivered  by  one  who  has  not  only  the  power, 
but  the  authority  and  right  to  attempt  and  make  the  res- 
cue. The  Mediator,  (Christ,  is  furnished  with  authority 
for  this  purpose.  In  the  exercise  of  this  authority  he 
commissions  and  sends  forth  his  servants  to  proclaim 
liberty  to  the  captives,  and  the  opening  of  the  prison-doors 
to  them  that  are  bound.  Go,  he  says,  and  teach  all  na- 
tions, preach  the  gospel  to  every  creature,  proclaim 
throughout  all  the  world  the  acceptable  year  of  the  Lord. 
Go,  for  I  am  authorized  to  send  you,  for  all  power  in 
heaven  and  earth  is  given   unto  me. 

The  Lamb  that  was  slain  is  worthy  to  rule  the  nations. 
The  subjects  of  his  spiritual  empire  are  scattered  among 
them.  Is  he  not  entitled  to  the  honor  of  dominion  over 
the  nations,  who  rides  forth  among  them  with  his  bow  and 
with  his  crown  to  conquer  his  people  and  gather  them 
into  his  kingdom?  And  is  he  not  competent  and  fit  to 
be  the  head  of  the  nations,  whose  blood  and  power  like 
the  leaves  of  the  tree  of  life  bring  to  them  healino;  and 
salvation  ?  The  Messiah's  right  and  fitness  for  headship 
over  the  nations  are  indisputable. 

4.  Worthy  to  preside  in  the  judgment  of  the  world,  be- 
cause he  sustained  God's  moral  government  in  his  death.  Sin 
is  a  direct  and  daring  attack  upon  the  government  of  Je- 
hovah. It  is  rebellion  against  the  authority,  and  treason 
against  the  throne  of  the  Almighty.  The  arch-fiend  who 
had  excited  revolt  in  heaven,  struck  by  the  disobedience 
of  our  race  at  the  sovereignty  and  dominion  of  the  Creator 
and  Lord  of  the  universe.     The  design  was  to  dethrone 


122  Memorial  Volume. 

the  Almighty  and  to  kindle  the  fires  of  rebellion  in  all 
the  newly-created  worlds,  and  the  design  would  have  been 
successful,  but  for  the  signal  overthrow  with  which  he 
met  in  the  punishment  of  sin  upon  the  cross. 

The  enormity  of  sin  is  horrible  to  contemplate.  It 
aims  to  rob  Jehovah  of  his  sovereignty,  his  character,  and, 
even  more  than  all  this,  strikes  at  the  very  existence  of 
the  Deity.  It  is  not  putting  the  case  too  strongly  to  say, 
that,  if  it  were  possible  for  sin  to  do  it,  it  would  murder 
the  Almighty,  the  proof  whereof  we  have  in  the  cruci- 
fixion of  the  Son  of  God. 

That  indeed  was  a  fearful  moment  when  by  man's 
disobedience  sin  entered  into  the  world.  The  great 
interests  of  truth,  righteousness  and  law  trembled  in  the 
balance.  They  were  in  peril  of  sinking  amid  the  wild 
uproar  of  universal  treason  and  rebellion.  The  pillars  of 
the  earth  were  shaken  and  its  foundations  were  being  torn 
out  of  their  place.  It  was  then  that  the  Son  of  God 
interposed.  He  seized  upon  the  trembling  pillars,  and 
restored  the  foundations  of  law  and  order.  ''  The  earth 
and  all  the  inhabitants  thereof  are  dissolved  :  I  bear  up  the 
pillars  of  it."  By  the  death  of  Christ  the  divine  govern- 
ment was  fully  and  forever  vindicated  and  established.  By 
suffering  to  full  and  complete  satisfaction  the  penalties  of 
justice,  he  magnified  the  law,  and  honored  it  in  its  claims 
and  sanctions.  The  death  upon  the  cross  was  an  end  of 
sin,  and  the  bringing  in  of  an  everlasting  righteousness 
which  stands  out  before  the  universe  as  a  perpetual  vin- 
dication of  the  law  and  government  of  God. 

Worthy  then  is  the  "Lamb  that  was  slain "  to  pre- 
side in  the  final  judgment  of  the  world.     It  is  most  be- 


The  Lamb  that  was  Slain.  123 

fitting  surely  that  the  one  who  sustained  in  his  death  the 
majesty  of  law  and  vindicated  and  established  its  authority 
should  be  charged  with  the  final  settlement  of  all  its 
claims.  This  will  be  done  in  that  great  day  of  the  Lord 
when  the  grand  assize  will  be  held.  All  the  generations 
of  men  who  have  ever  lived  upon  the  earth  shall  appear 
for  trial  and  judgment.  Sentence  shall  be  pronounced  on 
every  one  according  to  his  work.  The  law  will  be  execu- 
ted ;  its  promised  rewards  to  obedience  will  be  conferred, 
and  its  threatened  punishments  will  be  inflicted.  Its  claims 
will  be  finally  settled.  There  is  no  appeal.  No  case 
can  ever  afterwards  be  opened.  The  wicked  shall  go 
away  into  everlasting  punishment,  and  the  righteous  into 
life  eternal. 

Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  s!ain,  and  by  his  death 
upheld  and  illustrated  the  majesty  and  authority  of  the 
throne  and  government  of  God,  to  conduct  the  solemni- 
ties of  the  judgment  and  to  pronounce  upon  all  its  sub- 
jects the  irreversible  sentence  of  the  law. 

The  Father  judgeth  no  man,  but  hath  committed  all 
judgment  to  the  Son.  The  last  and  closing  act  of  his 
administration  will  be  to  determine  and  enforce  the  claims 
of  his  divine  law  and  government,  and  who  can  deny 
that  he  is  qualified  for  the  work,  that  he  is  entitled  to 
the  honor,  and  that  he  has  immeasurable  and  infinite 
worthiness  for  the  great  and  high  responsibility  ? 

Conclusion. 

I.  The  all-sufficiency  ofjesm  invites  and  encourages  con- 
fidence and  faith  in  him.  As  the  redeemer  of  sinners  he 
is  infinitely  sufficient.  His  qualifications  as  a  saviour  are 
complete.  The  Captain  of  salvation,  lacks  in  no  one  con- 
dition, fitness  for  conducting. 


124  Memorial  Volume. 

The  fulness  of  the  God-head  belongs  to  him.  The 
resources  of  infinite  wisdom,  knowledge  and  power  are 
at  his  command.  With  divinity  he  unites  a  perfect  man- 
hood, and  is  thus  allied  to  us  by  the  ties  and  sympathies 
of  a  common  nature.  Once  dead  as  the  sacrifice  for  sin, 
he  now  lives  as  our  advocate  on  high  :  and  ever  living  to 
make  Intercession  he  Is  able  to  save  unto  the  uttermost. 
Never  yet  has  he  failed  in  any  part  of  his  undertaking, 
and  never  will  until  the  last  one  of  his  redeemed  has  been 
fully  and  forever  saved.  Being  made  perfect  by  the  things 
which  he  suffered,  Jesus  has  become  the  author  of  eter- 
nal salvation  unto  all  them  that  obey  him. 

We  invite  you  to  behold  the  Lamb  that  was  slain.  We 
call  you  to  faith  and  trust  in  a  living  Saviour,  the  one  that 
liveth  and  was  dead,  and  is  alive  for  evermore,  with  as- 
surance that,  if  you  turn  towards  him  the  eye  of  single 
dependence  and  trust,  you  shall  have  everlasting  life.  He 
that  believeth  shall  be  saved. 

2.  How  dreadful  the  guilt  and  punishment  of  those  who 
reject  Christ  and  his  salvation.  How  worthy  to  be  be- 
lieved, accepted  and  trusted  !  If  the  angels,  who  have 
never  sinned,  and  therefore  have  no  need  of  redemption, 
judge  him  worthy  of  the  highest  possible  honor,  what 
inexcusable  in2;ratitude  and  wickedness  for  men  redeemed 
by  his  blood  to  treat  him  as  an  impostor  and  pretender  ! 
So  unbelief  does. 

What  answer  have  any  of  you  to  make  for  such  hor- 
rible impiety?  Who  is  It  that  you  are  thus  dishonoring  ? 
Pause  and  consider.  It  is  God's  eternal  and  well-be- 
loved Son,  the  one  who  came  down  from  the  highest 
heaven,   Ir.to   a  state    of    the  deepest    humiliation,  and 


The  Lamb  that  was  Slain.  125 

suffered  therein  for  sinners  the  uttermost  wrath  of  God. 
The  arisen  and  glorified  Jesus,  crowned  with  glory  and 
honor,  deserving  of  and  receiving  the  concerted  and  ever- 
lasting praises  of  the  heavenly  world  !  And  him  you  de- 
spise. What  shall  be  done  to  the  men  who  will  not 
reverence  the  Son?  the  men  who  will  not  give  honor  to 
the  Lamb  that  was  shin  ?  Indignation  and  wrath,  tribu- 
lation and  anguish,  will  be  the  portion  of  all  such.  God 
himself  will  meet  them  when  they  come  to  his  bar  for 
judgment,  and  will  tear  them  in  pieces,  and  there  shall  be 
none  to  deliver.  If  any  man  love  not  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  let  him  be  Anathema  Maranatha.  Be  warned,  O 
sinner,  in  time  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to  come,  or  other- 
wise that  which  is  written  In  the  Prophets  must  come 
upon  you  :  "  Behold,  ye  despisers,  and  wonder  and  per- 
ish." What  will  you  do  in  the  great  day  when  he  shall 
come  with  the  clouds  of  heaven,  to  take  vengeance  on 
them  who  obey  not  the  gospel? 

3.  Supreme  allegiance  is  due  to  Christ  from  his  people. 
His  claims  upon  their  loyalty  are  Incontestable.  He  al- 
lows of  no  rival.  He  will  not  consent  to  share  their 
obedience  with  another,  nor  do  they  desire  that  he  should. 
He  is  their  king,  lawgiver  and  judge,  and  him  they  obey 
without  questioning  what  their  allegiance  and  fidelity  may 
cost  them. 

They  only  are  true  followers  of  Christ  who  In  purpose 
and  intent  leave  all  for  his  sake.  Father  and  mother, 
brother  and  sister,  wife  and  children,  houses  and  lands, 
yea  and  life  Itself,  all  must  be  sacrificed,  when  demanded 
by  loyalty  to  Christ  and  his  throne  and  cause.  It  Is 
surely  then  a  small  matter  to  forego  the  exercise  of  polit- 

I  I 


126  Memorial  Volume. 

ical  rights  and  privileges  rather  than  compromise  allegi- 
ance to  our  Redeemer  and  Lord  by  identification  with 
nations  which  refuse  to  yield  open  fealty  unto  the  Lamb 
that  was  slain.  If  the  Eternal  Son  whom  the  Father  hath 
made  head  of  the  nations  is  to  be  discrowned  and  dis- 
owned out  of  deference  to  the  enemies  of  his  person, 
religion  and  law,  then  we  wash  our  hands  of  all  com- 
plicity in  thejreason,  and  prefer  a  thousand  times  to  follow 
the  King  into  his  banishment,  protesting,  all  the  while, 
that  he  is  worthy  to  sit  upon  the  throne  of  the  nations. 

Let  us  not  be  ashamed  of  the  crown  of  Immanuel. 
Let  us  not  be  afraid  of  the  reproaches  and  scorn  of  the 
world.  There  are  others  who  witness  and  approve  our 
fidelity.  Wisdom  is  justified  of  her  children.  The  ten 
thousand  times  ten  thousand  holy  angels,  who  are  pro- 
claiming before  the  throne,  "  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that 
was  slain,"  are  with  us.  We  are  in  the  line,  too,  of  a 
glorious  succession,  following  the  great  cloud  of  witnesses, 
who,  in  stormier  and  more  perilous  times,  advancing 
under  the  banner  sacred  to  ''  Christ's  Crown  and  Cove- 
nant," passed  into  the  land  of  glory. 

4.  yesus  arisen  and  exalted  is  ivorthy  of  transcendent  ad- 
miration and  praise.  How  inadequate  are  our  views  of 
his  excellence  and  glory  !  How  far  short,  as  compared 
with  his  claims,  do  we  come  in  our  admiration  !  The 
saints  do  indeed  admire  and  rejoice  in  him,  but  highly  as 
they  think  of  him,  their  highest  thoughts  are  immeasur- 
ably short  of  his  deserving. 

What  can  we  do  more  than  join  in  the  celestial  as- 
cription, ''  Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive 
power,  and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honor. 


The  Lamb  that  was  Slain.  127 

and  glory,  and  blessing  ;  "  worthy  to  conduct  the  cause 
of  his  redeemed  before  the  most  august  tribunal  in  the 
universe,  worthy  to  bear  all  the  glory  of  government  in 
his  Father's  house,  worthy  to  rule  the  nations  and  to 
take  them  for  his  inheritance,  worthy  to  preside  in  the 
judgment  of  the  world  and  to  pronounce  from  his  glori- 
ous throne  the  everlasting  doom  of  men  and  angels  !  His 
name  shall  endure  forever ;  it  is  above  every  name. 
Every  knee  shall  bow  to  him,  and  every  tongue  confess 
that  he  is  Lord  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father. 

Though  all  men  should  hold  their  peace,  yet  the 
"  Lamb  that  was  slain"  will  not  be  deprived  of  his  mer- 
ited honor.  There  are  others  who  admire  and  exalt  him. 
The  universe  is  vocal  with  his  praise.  Every  where 
throughout  the  vast  dominions  of  Jehovah  innumerable 
voices  are  lifted  in  his  commendation — voices  in  the  sun, 
moon  and  all  the  stars  of  light — voices  in  the  thunder 
and  lightning,  in  the  fire,  hail,  snow  and  stormy  wind — 
voices  from  the  cattle  on  a  thousand  hills — voices  in  the 
depths  and  voices  in  the  heights — ^joining  in  glorious  unison 
with  the  celestial  throng  as  thev  sound  their  loud  acclaim, 
''Worthy  is  the  Lamb  that  was  slain  to  receive  power, 
and  riches,  and  wisdom,  and  strength,  and  honor,  and 
glory,  and   blessing." 

A  great  opportunity  is  given  us  to-day.  It  is  a  great 
day,  an  high  day,  the  day  which  the  Lord  hath  made. 
Let  us  signalize  it  by  putting  honor  upon  the  Lamb  that 
was  slain.  Crown  him  with  the  whole  honor  of  salva- 
tion. Crown  him  King  of  saints,  crown  him  Lord  of 
all. 

Thine,  O  Lamb  that  was  slain,  thine  is  the  kingdom, 
and  the  power,  and  the  glory,  for  ever 


128 

■\ 
DEBARRING  AND  INVITING  SERVICE. 

BY    REV.    S.    BOWDEN. 

Debarring. 

As  our  warrant  for  the  difficult  duty  to  which  I  now 
proceed,  I  read  Ezek.  43  :  10-12,  "Thou  son  of  man, 
shew  the  house  to  the  house  of  Israel,"  etc. 

The  command  is  addressed  to  the  prophet  here  styled 
the  "son  of  man,*'  as  the  representative  of  the  Chris- 
tian ministry.  The  entire  vision  exhibits  the  church 
under  her  New  Testament  form. 

The  object  of  the  service  is  here  said  to  be  two-fold. 
I.  "That  they  may  be  ashamed  of  their  iniquities'  and 
condemned.  I  trust,  we  still  feel  ourselves  to  be  at  the 
bar  of  God  and  our  own  consciences.  2.  To  impress  the 
more  upon  the  soul  a  sense  of  the  awful  majesty  and  in- 
effable purity  of  the  God  to  whom  we  draw  nigh.  "  This 
is  the  law  of  the  house  ;  Upon  the  top  of  the  mountain 
the  whole  limit  thereof  round  about  shall  be  most  holy. 
Behold,  this  is  the  law  of  the  house," 

In  the  spirit  of  this  divine  precept,  in  obedience  to  the 
principle  which  I  conceive  to  be  here  clearly  intimated, 
I  proceed  to  debar  ministerially  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Christ  all  unworthy  to  appear  at  his  holy  table  :  all  un- 
converted, unregenerate,  unrenewed  persons  ;  all  the  en- 
emies of  the  Redeemer,  alienated  from  him  in  their  minds 
and  by  wicked  works,  who  persist  and  will  persist  in 
known  violations  of  God's  holy  law,  who  have  no  true 
sense  of  sin,  who  make  no  sincere  and  earnest  efforts  to 
break  off  their  sins,  who  have  no  faith  in  Christ,  no 
hope  of  pardon,  no  reliance  upon  the  Holy  Spirit, 


Debarring  and  Inviting  Service.  129 

1 .  In  particular  all  impenitent  transgressors  of  the  first 
precept  of  the  law,  who  have  other  gods  besides  the  true 
and  living  God  ;  all  atheists,  who  deny  or  question  the 
being  and  existence  of  God  ;  <vho  live  as  if  there  were 
no  God  ;  who  wish  in  their  hearts  there  was  no  God  ; 
who  live  in  ignorance  of  him  ;  have  no  reference  to  him  in 
their  thoughts  and  lives  ;  who  do  not  know  and  ac- 
knowledge God  as  their  own  God,  take  hold  of  his  gra- 
cious covenant  and  worship  and  glorify  him  accordingly  ; 
who  deny  the  divine  personality  of  the  Son  of  God 
and  the  blessed  Spirit.  All  who,  in  these  or  other  ways 
not  mentioned,  refuse  God  that  glory,  homage  and  obe- 
dience which  he  challenges  as  his  due,  and  continue  in 
such  sin  not  repented  of  and  turned  from,  are  solemnly 
forbidden  to  approach  the  table  of  the  Lord. 

2.  In  the  same  name  and  by  the  same  authority,  that 
of  the  Lord  Christ,  I  debar  ministerially  all  impenitent 
violators  of  the  second  commandment :  all  who,  while 
they  professedly  worship  the  true  God,  do  not  recognize 
and  act  upon  the  principle  that  God  alone  has  the  right 
to  prescribe  the  institutes  of  his  own  worship  ;  who  make 
visible  representations  of  the  invisible  God,  or  form  vain 
imaginations  of  him  in  their  own  mind  ;  who  corrupt, 
add  to,  or  take  from  the  instituted  worship  of  God  j  who 
do  great  wrong  to  the  church  and  dishonor  to  the 
Spirit,  by  substituting  for  the  praise  he  has  himself 
indited  and  appointed  for  use  the  imperfect  effusions  of 
uninspired  men  j  who  worship  God  by  proxy,  with 
choirs  and  organs.  All  so  sinning  and  not  repenting, 
are  forbidden  to  approach  the  table  of  the  Lord. 

3.   In  Christ's  great  name,  I  debar  ministerially  all  the 

II* 


13^  Memorial  Volume, 

onrepentant  breakers  of  the  third  precept :  all  who  take 
the  name  of  the  Lord  our  God  in  vain  ;  who  do  not 
make  it  their  study  in  their  thoughts,  words  and  actions 
to  give  the  sacred  name  of  Jehovah  that  honor  and 
homage  which  he  claims  as  his  due;  who  read,  or  speak, 
or  hear  God's  word  irreverently  ;  who  are  guilty  of  a  light 
and  irreverent  use  of  his  titles,  attributes,  or  any  thing  by 
which  he  makes  himself  known  ;  who  abuse  the  oath, 
that  most  solemn  form  of  religious  worship  ;  who  re- 
fuse when  rightly  called  upon,  to  make  an  appeal  to  God, 
in  that  manner,  or  who,  when  they  take  an  oath,  are 
guilty  of  perjury,  reserve  or  equivocation  ;  who  use  what 
are  known  as  minced  oaths  ;  who  make  a  light  and  wanton 
use  of  the  lot  in  what  are  falsely  called  games  of  chance ; 
who  throw  the  dice,  or  shuffle  the  cards  ;  who  abuse  God's 
creatures,  tasking  them  beyond  their  strength,  destroying 
or  injuring  them  to  gratify  a  fiendish  spirit ;  who  pervert 
the  fruits  of  the  earth  to  minister  to  their  own  gluttony 
or  drunkenness  ;  who  make  a  profession  of  religion  in 
hypocrisy,  for  some  sinister  end,  or  through  corrupt 
motives  ;  who  are  ashamed  of  their  profession  after  they 
have  made  it,  or  a  shame  to  it  by  their  wanton,  worldly, 
inconsistent  lives  and  behavior.  All  who,  in  these  or 
other  ways  not  mentioned,  bring  dishonor  on  God's  name, 
and  repent  not,  let  them  not  approach  this  holy  table. 

4.  All  impenitent  transgressors  of  the  fourth  com- 
mandment :  who  do  not  remember  the  Sabbath  day  to 
keep  it  holy  ;  who  do  not  count  the  Sabbath  a  delight,  the 
holy  of  the  Lord,  honorable  ;  who  devote  the  day  in 
whole  or  in  part  to  secular  business,  or  recreation,  or 
abandon  it  to  indolence  ;    who  do  not  make  conscience 


Debarring  and  Inviting  Service.  131 

of  devoting  the  whole  day  to  the  duties  of  personal  and 
social  religion  ;  who  dishonor  God  by  a  light  and  incon- 
siderate observance  of  the  institutions  of  the  Sabbath, 
thus  by  one  act  of  aggravated  crime  defiling  God's  Sanc- 
tuary and  profaning  his  holy  day  ;  who  on  the  sabbath 
do  in  private  what  they  would  not  do  in  the  presence 
of  their  fellow-men;  who  make  calculations  in  regard  to 
business  past  or  business  to  come  ;  who  travel  or  visit 
unnecessarily ;  who  distribute  or  receive  mail-matter 
upon  the  Sabbath  ;  who  attend  to  their  correspondence 
upon  that  day  ;  who  do  not  seek  to  prepare  beforehand 
for  the  services  of  the  Sabbath  ;  who  protract  unduly  the 
business  and  labor  of  Saturday,  and  so  unfit  themselves 
for  Sabbath  duties  ;  who  make  frivolous  apologies  for 
absenting  themselves  from  the  sanctuary,  endeavor  to 
satisfy  themselves  or  others  with  reasons  for  such  neglect, 
that  would  not  keep  them  from  their  worldly  business; 
who  do  not  endeavor,  that  those  over  whom  they  have 
control  keep  the  day  holy  ;  who  do  not  set  apart  por- 
tions of  their  time  through  the  week  for  meditation, 
secret  prayer,  family  and  social  worship.  All  who  in 
these,  or  other  ways  not  mentioned,  do  not  sanctify  the 
Sabbath,  and  who  repent  not,  let  them  not  venture  to  ap- 
proach this  holy  table. 

5.  All  impenitent  transgressors  of  the  fifth  command- 
ment: allchildicn,  undutiful  to  their  parents;  who  refuse 
to  give  them  that  honor  which  God  requires,  in  a  respect- 
ful entertainment  of  their  counsels,  ready  compliance 
with  their  lawful  commands,  and  due  submission  to  their 
reproofs  and  corrections;  who  presume  to  speak  dis- 
respectfully either  to  their   parents  or  of  their  parents  : 


132  Memorial  Volume. 

all  parents  who  do  not  bring  up  their  children  in  the 
nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord;  who  do  not  pray 
with  and  for  them  ;  who  do  not  anxiously  watch  over 
their  children  as  they  grow  up,  and  endeavor  by  counsel 
and  advice,  by  admonition  and  reproof,  and  by  faithful 
correction  when  necessary,  to  keep  them  in  the  way  of 
truth  and  purity,  or  who  by  their  life  show  what  they 
teach  to  be  of  small  moment  to  themselves  ;  who  correct 
their  children  harshly,  provoking  them  to  wrath,  or 
through  foolish  fondness  indulge  them  in  what  is  wrong; 
who  allow  them  to  grow  up  ignorant  of  the  way  of  life 
and  salvation  :  all  undutiful,  unsubmissive  ecclesiastical 
children,  members  of  the  church,  who  do  not  respect  the 
eldership,  do  not  receive  the  truth  with  faith  and  with 
ready  mind  from  the  ministry  of  reconciliation,  regarding 
it  as  a  message  from  God  to  their  souls,  but  listen  care- 
lessly, putting  from  them  the  things  that  are  preached  : 
all  ecclesiastical  parents,  ministers  and  ruling  elders, 
who  do  not  watch  for  souls  as  those  that  must  give  ac- 
count, who  do  not  commend  their  people  to  God  in 
earnest  prayer,  who  exercise  rule  to  gratify  ambition,  an- 
tipathy or  prejudice  :  ministers  who  preach  the  truth 
with  scanty  hand,  or  serve  God  with  that  which  costs 
them  nothing ;  who  do  not  reprove  and  exhort  with  all 
long-sufFering  and  doctrine,  in  season  and  out  of  season; 
who  do  not  first  take  heed  to  themselves  and  then  to  the 
whole  flock  over  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  them 
overseers,  but  are  careless  and  unfaithful  to  their  high 
trust ;  who  do  not  exhibit  a  crucified  Saviour  in  all  his  ful- 
ness as  the  alone  foundation  of  human  hope  :  all  civil 
children,  members  of  the  commonwealth,  who   do  not 


Debarring  and  Inviting  Service.  133 

acknowledge  civil  government  as  God's  ordinance, 
placed  in  subjection  to  Christ  ;  who  do  not  submit  to 
legitimate  authority,  or  who  own  as  God's  ordinance 
man's  iiiiidelity  and  rebellion  against  his  Maker,  submit 
for  conscience  sake  to  constitutions  of  government  set 
up  and  administered  without  regard  to  (jod's  law  ;  all 
seditious,  turbulent,  riotous  members  of  the  community, 
anti-government  or  no-government  men  ;  all  who  swear 
to  support  an  immoral  constitution  of  civil  government, 
or  elect  others  to  take  that  sinful  oath  :  all  civil  parents, 
rulers  in  the  state,  who  exercise  authority  in  the  com- 
monwealth without  regard  to  Him  by  whom  kings  rule 
and  princes  decree  justice  ;  who  make  not  God's  word 
their  supreme  rule  in  all  their  enactments  ;  who  inflict 
upon  a  nation  the  foul  dishonor  of  having  no  God  :  all 
civil  officers,  of  whatever  rank,  who  do  not  exert  their 
personal  influence  and  employ  their  official  power  to 
promote  the  interests  of  morality,  and  of  true  and  unde- 
filed  religion  :  all  who  do  not  honor  the  other  relations 
which  God  has  instituted  among  men  for  wise,  holy  and 
benevolent  purposes:  all  unkind,  untender  husbands, 
all  refractory  and  unsubmissive  wives  :  all  faithless  eye- 
servants,  all  masters  who  do  not  give  to  their  servants 
that  which  is  just  and  equal.  All  who  in  these  or  other 
ways  violate  the  fifth  commandment,  God's  great  rule  of 
social  order,  and  repent  not,  they  are  forbidden  to  ap- 
proach this  holy  table.  God  is  a  God  of  order  and  not 
of  confusion. 

6.  In  the  same  name,  that  of  Christ,  I  debar  ministe- 
rially all  impenitent  violators  of  the  sixth  commandment : 
all  murderers,  whether  in  intention  or  in  act,  who  indulge 


134  Memorial  Volume. 

in  principles,  passions  and  practices  inconsistent  with  a 
sacred  regard  for  human  life  ;  the  suicide  in  intention  or 
desire  :  all  who  are  weary  of  the  good  gift  of  life,  who  do 
not  strive  to  prolong  their  life  and  preserve  their  health, 
who  overtask  theinselvesor  others ;  who, in  pursuit  of  what 
is  called  pleasure,  injure  their  own  bodies ;  who  are  engaged 
in  any  species  of  traffic  or  business  that  is  detrimental  to 
the  physical  or  moral  welfare  of  others  ;  all  who  use 
spirituous  liquors  as  a  beverage  j  all  who  indulge  in  cruel 
and  wicked  sports  ;  all  malicious,  implacable  and  unfor- 
giving persons ;  for  he  that  '•^  hateth  his  brother  is  a 
murderer  :  and  ye  know  that  no  murderer  hath  eternal 
life  abiding  in  him."  All  who  in  these  or  other  ways 
not  mentioned  break  the  sixth  precept  and  repent  not,  let 
them  not  approach  the  table  of  that  God  whose  name 
and  whose  nature  is  Love. 

7.  In  the  name  of  Christ,  I  debar  ministerially  all  im- 
penitent violators  of  the  seventh  precept :  all  adulterers, 
fornicators  and  unclean  persons  ;  who  indulge  in  lust- 
ful imagination ;  who  live  under  the  influence  of 
unsubdued  lascivious  desires  and  passions,  that  set  the 
soul  on  fire  as  of  hell  ;  who  do  not  discountenance  all 
principles  different  from  those  which  God  has  appointed 
with  regard  to  the  intercourse  of  the  sexes  ;  all  who  fre- 
quent theatres,  balls,  promiscuous  dancings,  prolific 
fountains  of  impurity  to  both  the  heart  and  the  life  ;  all 
who  take  delight  in  gazing  on  vile  pictures,  reading 
obscene  books,  singing  filthy  songs,  which  all  foster  un- 
holy passions.  All  who  in  these  or  other  ways  violate  the 
seventh  precept  and  i-epent  not,  let  them  not  approach  a 
table  spread  only  for  the  pure  in  heart. 


Debarring  and  Inviting  Service.  135 

8.  In  the  name  of  Christ,  I  debar  ministerially  from 
this  table  all  impenitent  transgressors  of  the  eighth 
commandment  :  all  dishonest  persons  ;  all  robbers  and 
thieves,  vi'ho  steal  by  force  or  secretly  ;  who  impose  any 
articles  of  traffic  or  any  personal  services  for  more  than 
they  are  worth,  or  who  accept  of  these  for  less  than  their 
real  value,  taking  advantage  of  the  necessities  or  distresses 
of  others  ;  who  make  hard,  sharp  bargains,  and  glory  in 
them  ;  who  make  false  representations  in  regard  to  articles 
of  traffic  ;  who  contract  debts  without  a  reasonable  pros- 
pect of  being  able  to  liquidate  them  ;  who  make  bargains 
and  do  not  keep  them,  because  not  for  their  pecuniary 
advantage  ;  who  throw  themselves  unnecessarily  upon 
the  charity  of  the  church  or  the  state  ;  who  do  not  by  ap- 
plication of  their  own  strength  and  talents  strive  after  an 
honest,  comfortable  and  useful  livelihood  ;  who  rob  God 
of  that  service  which  is  his  due,  of  that  time  and  effort 
and  that  porcion  of  their  worldly  substance  which  is 
needful  to  the  support  and  extension  of  his  kingdom. 
Continuing  in  such  sins  and  not  repenting  of  them,  let 
them  not  approach  this  holy  table. 

9.  In  the  name  of  the  Lord  Christ,  I  debar  minister- 
ially all  impenitent  transgressors  of  the  ninth  command- 
ment :  all  liars  and  slanderers  ;  all  who  whether  in  courts 
of  judicature  or  in  the  ordinary  intercourse  of  society  do 
not  make  conscience  of  speaking  the  truth,  the  whole 
truth  and  nothing  but  the  truth  ;  who  arc  unsteadfast  and 
perfidious  in  their  vows  and  covenant  engagements  ;  who 
speak  the  truth  unseasonably,  maliciously,  or  so  as  to  pro- 
duce a  false  impression  ;  who  raise  or  spread  injurious 
reports  to  gratify  their  own  wicked   natures,  not  to  pro- 


1^6  Memorial  Volume. 

mote  the  interests  of  the  church's  purity  or  the  ends  of 
justice  ;  who  take  delight  in  hearing  these  evil  reports, 
occupying  in  this  respect  the  same  mean  and  contemptible 
position  as  the  receivers  of  stolen  goods ;  who  tread  on  the 
sacred  precincts  of  a  neighbor's  character,  or  who  through 
a  false  modesty  or  criminal  indifference  do  not  guard 
their  own  character,  thus  trifling  with  what  God  has 
committed  to  them  as  a  solemn,  precious  trust;  who 
tarnish  their  own  fair  fame  bj  an  Irregular,  wanton, 
worldly,  covetous  life.  All  who  In  these  or  other  ways 
not  mentioned  persist  in  violating  this  precept,  let  them 
not  come  to  this  holy  table. 

10.  Lastly,  In  Christ's  great  name,  I  debar  from  this 
holy  table  all  the  impenitent  violators  of  the  tenth  com- 
mandment :  all  covetous,  envious,  discontented  persons, 
who  covet  what  is  their  neio;hbor's  when  it  is  not  in  their 
power  to  acquire  or  In  his  disposition  to  Impart  It  ;  who 
repine  at  the  doings  of  Providence,  do  not  endeavor  to 
cultivate  a  spirit  of  contentment  and  holy  cheerfulness  ; 
who  endeavor  in  a  perverse  and  wicked  way  to  change 
their  condition  In  life  ;  all,  especially  ministers  and  ruling 
elders,  who  love  to  have  the  pre-eminence  in  the  church  ; 
all  who  are  envious  of  the  gifts,  reputation  and  useful- 
ness of  a  brother  in  the  ministry,  do  not  rejoice  In  his 
prosperity  as  their  own  ;  all  who  Impeach  the  wisdom 
and  goodness  of  God's  providence  bv  not  being  content 
with  such  things  as  they  have  ;  such  as  make  a  god  of 
this  world,  ''  who  say  to  the  gold  thou  art  my  hope ;"  who 
make  the  duties  of  religion  subordinate  and  subservient 
to  the  claims  of  the  world.  So  sinning  and  not  turning 
from  sin  unto  God,  let  them  not  draw  nigh  the  table  of 
the  Lorc^. 


Debarring  and  Inviting  Service.         137 

I  trust  I  shall  give  a  scriptural  warrant  for  this  im- 
portant and  certainly  very  difficult  service.  Read  with 
me,  Rom.  i  :  28-32  ;  i  Cor.  6  :  9,  10  ;  Gal.  5  :  19-21  ; 
2  Tim.  3  :  1-5  j  Rev.  22  :  15. 

Invitation. 

Thus  we  see  the  true  light  in  which  man  involved  in 
guilt  is  regarded  by  his  Maker  ;  we  behold  in  clearest 
colors  the  necessity  for  expiation,  the  necessity  for  re- 
newal. To  accomplish  this  mighty  work,  utterly  to  re- 
move the  guilt  and  stain  of  sin,  Christ  has  appeared  in 
our  nature,  even  to  put  away  sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  him- 
self. "  This  is  a  faithful  saying,  and  worthy  of  all  ac- 
ceptation, that  Christ  Jesus  came  into  the  world  to  save 
sinners."  Sin,  however  great,  repented  of,  turned  from, 
renounced  and  pardoned,  cannot  prohibit  fellowship  with 
God. 

"  If  we  walk  in  the  light,  as  he  is  in  the  light,  we 
have  fellowship  one  with  another,  and  the  blood  of  Jesus 
Christ  his  Son  cleanseth  us  from  all  sin."  This  is  a 
most  suitable  text  of  Scripture  with  which  to  occupy 
our  minds  most  devoutly  in  this  connexion.  There  is 
here  ample  encouragement  given  to  those  who  turn  to 
God  with  the  whole  heart,  and  oh  !  my  dear  friends, 
let  us  remember  there  is  warrant  for  none  else.  You 
will  have  observed  that  in  the  whole  debarring  service 
only  the  impenitent  were  excluded,  those  who  persist  and 
will  persist  in  ministering  to  their  vices  and  passions. 

A  free  and  cordial  invitation  is  extended  in  the  great 
and  precious  name  of  the  Redeemer  to  all  true,  genuine 
penitents,  to  all  the  friends  of  Christ.     A  gracious  Re- 

12 


138  Memorial  Volume. 

deemer  welcomes  us,  "Whosoever  will,  let  him  take  the 
water  of  life  frtelv."  These  are  to  come  in  Christ's  way. 
"  Open  ye  the  gates,  that  the  righteous  nation  which 
keepeth  the  truth  may  enter  in,"  the  gates,  the  door  of 
authority  in  Christ's  church. 

And  to  show  you  that  I  have  not  exceeded  my 
warrant  in  tendering  this  invitation,  read  with  me  again 
from  this  holy  word  :  Matt.  5:2-10;  i  Cor.  6:11; 
Gal.  5  :  22—24  ;  Rev.  22  :  17  ;  Song  of  Solomon  2  :  10— 
13  ;    I  Sam.  9  :  11-13. 

"  Now,  therefore,  get  you  up  ;  for  about  this  time  ye 
shall  find  him." 

Encouraged  by  such  gracious  intimations  of  the  will 
of  God,  with  which  most  of  you  are  familiar,  but  which 
always  possess  a  heavenly  freshness  and  beauty,  which 
are  like  fragrant  flowers  which  the  Saviour  strews  in  our 
path,  come  forward  to  the  festival  which  he  hath  in- 
stituted, relying  on  him  by  faith. 

Sing  Ps.  24  :  3-10. 


139 


EXPLANATION    OF    THE    WORDS   OF 
INSTITUTION. 

BY    REV.    T.    SPROULL,    D.   D. 
I  Cor.  II  :  23-29, 

The  record  of  the  institution  of  the  Lord's  supper, 
given  by  Paul  in  this  passage,  is  fuller  and  more  explicit 
than  that  contained  in  either  of  the  four  gospels.  He 
informs  us  that  he  received  it  from  the  Lord,  who  ap- 
pointed the  feast,  to  make  it  known  to  the  church,  and 
that  he  had  faithfully  discharged  the  trust  committed  to 
him.  "  I  have  received  of  the  Lord  that  which  also  I 
delivered  unto  you."  The  time  of  the  institution  is  dis- 
tinctly noted.  It  was  the  night  the  Lord  Jesus  was  be- 
trayed. In  the  depth  of  his  sorrow  he  thought  of  his 
people,  and  provided  for  them  a  joyful  feast. 

The  actions  performed  by  Christ  are  to  be  done  in  bis 
name  by  the  administrators  of  this  ordinance,  and  to  be 
diligently  observed  by  the  communicants.  They  are  four 
in  number,  and  are  sacramental  and  symbolical,  having  a 
spiritual  significance.  First,  taking  the  bread  and  the 
cup.  "  The  Lord  Jesus  the  night  in  which  he  was  be- 
trayed took  bread." — "  After  the  same  manner  also  the 
cup."  This  denotes  the  assumption  of  our  nature 
by  the  person  of  the  Son  of  God.  "  The  Word  was 
made  flesh." — "  As  the  children  are  partakers  of  flesh 
and  blood,  he  also  himself  likewise  took  part  of  the 
same."  Second,  he  gave  thanks  for  the  unspeakable 
benefits  of  which  this  institution  was  the  sign  and  seal, 
and  pronounced  a  blessing  on  the  elements,  designating 


140  Memorial  Volume. 

and  setting  them  apart  to  a  sacred  end  and  use.     By  this 
he   pointed  out   his  own  consecration    to  the  work    of 
our  redemption.     "  Him  whom   the  Father  hath  sancti- 
fied, and   sent  into  the  world." — "God  anointed  Jesus 
of  Nazareth  with  the  Holy  Ghost." — ''  Him  hath  God 
the  Father  sealed."     Third,  he  brake  the  bread.     This 
was  for  the  purpose  of  distribution.     The  act  indicated 
that  Christ  by  his  obedience  to  death  became  the  Saviour 
ot  his  people,  suited    to   their   individual   conditions  and 
wants.     The  accompanying  words  clearly  teach  that  his 
death  was  vicarious  :   "This  is  my  body,  which  is  broken 
for  you."     Thus  each  one  can  receive  him  as  having  died 
for  himself.     "  He  loved  me  and  gave  himself  for  me." 
Fourth,  he  gave  the  bread  and  the  cup  and  accompanied 
the    act    with    words   most   expressive  and  instructive. 
"  Take,  eat :   this  is  my  body." — "  This  do  in  remem- 
brance of  me." — "  This  cup  is  the  new  testament  in  my 
blood  :   this  do  ye,  as  oft  as  ye  drink  it,  in  remembrance 
of  me."     A  twofold   duty  is   enjoined   here.     To  affec- 
tionately   remember    Christ    in    his    redemption    work, 
while  partaking  of  the  bread  and   wine  ;  and  to  keep  up 
the  remembrance  of  him  in  the  church  to  the  latest  gen- 
erations.    "  This  do  in  remembrance  of  me."     The  cup 
represented  the   new  covenant,  sealed  and  confirmed  by 
the  blood  of  Christ  shed  for  the  remission  of  the  sins  of 
his  people  ;  and  this  remembrance   Is   to  be  perpetuated 
to  the  end  of  the  world.     "  As  often  as  ye  eat  this  bread, 
and  drink  this  cup,  ye  do  shew   the   Lord's  death  till  he 
come." 

The  communicants  receive  the  elements  and  partake 
of  them.     They  eat  the  bread  and  drink  the  wine.      By 


Explanation  of  the  Words  of  Institution.     14*1 

these  acts  they  declare  that  they  receive  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  by  faith  as  their  Saviour  and  live  on  him  as  the 
food  of  their  souls.  "  As  ye  have  received  Christ  Jesus 
the  Lord,  so  walk  ye  in  him." — "  Whoso  eateth  my  flesh 
and  drinketh  my  blood,  hath  eternal  life." — "  He  that 
eateth  my  flesh  and  drinketh  my  blood,  dwelleth  in  me, 
and  I  in  him." 

Prepared  by  diligent  self-examination,  and  looking  to 
the  Spirit  of  God  for  grace  worthily  to  communicate,  let 
the  disciples  of  Christ  draw  near  to  him  in  this  holy  com- 
munion service,  that,  whilst  partaking  of  the  emblems  of 
his  body  and  blood,  they  may  by  faith  feed  on  him,  who 
is  thus  set  forth  as  the  living  bread  that  came  down  from 
heaven,  by  which  they  who  partake  of  it  are  strengthened 
for  their  spiritual  conflict,  and  prepared,  when  their  trials 
are  over,  for  the  everlasting  rest  of  heaven. 


12 


142 


TABLE    ADDRESSES. 


I. 

THE  CHURCH  A  QUIET  HABITATION. 

BY  REV.  D.  S.   PARIS. 

Isaiah  33  :  20.  "Look,  upon  Zion,  the  city  of  our  solemnities  :  thine 
eyes  shall  see  Jerusalem  a  quiet  habitation,  a  tabernacle  that  shall  not  be 
taken  down." 

1.  The  prophet  aims  to  comfort  believers,  weary  of 
wars  and  fightings,  with  the  bright  prospect  of  coming 
peace. 

2.  In  the  world  we  have  tribulation  through  inward 
corruption,  the  temptations  of  Satan  and  the  revilings 
and  persecutions  of  the  wicked. 

3.  The  believer  desires  peace  in  the  church  for  his 
own  sake,  for  the  sake  of  his  friends  and  brethren,  and 
for  the  house  of  God  the  Lord. 

4.  The  church  is  and  ought  to  be  peaceable,  because 
her  children  are  the  disciples  of  the  meek  and  lowly 
Jesus,  they  have  in  their  hearts  the  peace  that  passeth 
all  understanding,  and  their  object  is  to  make  peace  by 
reconciling  sinners  to  God. 

5.  It  is  our  duty  to  cultivate  peace,  by  subduing  our 
own  passions,  by  living  peaceably  with  all  men,  but 
especially  bv  pursuing  that  course  which  will  secure 
peace  and  friendship  in  the  church. 

6.  We   ought   to  do  so  because  it  is  the  end  of  our 


Jehovah-jireh.  143 

calling,  because  of  the  mutual  interest  of  brethren,  but 
above  all  because  of  the  mutual  pledges  of  friendship  now 
given  in  such  a  solemn  manner  before  the  world. 

By  so  doing  we  can  lay  hold  of  the  promise,  "And 
the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding,  shall 
keep  your  hearts  and  minds  through  Christ  Jesus." 


11. 

JEHOVAH-JIREH. 

BY  REV.    J.   W.   SPROULL. 

Gen.    22  :    14.       "And    Abraham    called    the    name    of    that    place 
Jehovah-jireh." 

This  chapter  contains  the  account  of  one  of  the 
severest  trials  to  which  a  believer  was  ever  subjected, 
and  one  of  the  sublimest  triumphs  of  faith,  if  not  the 
very  sublimest,  recorded  anywhere  of  a  mere  man.  In 
the  fourteenth  verse  we  are  told  what  were  the  feelings 
with  which  the  principal  actor  regarded  the  v/hole  trans- 
action after  it  was  past,  and  what  was  the  impression 
made  by  it  on  the  inhabitants  of  the  country  in  which  it 
occurred.  Thankful  to  God  for  his  great  kindness  in 
saving  his  beloved  son  from  the  sacrificial  altar  and  pro- 
viding another  victim,  and  desirous  that  the  remembrance 
of  what  had  been  done  should  be  perpetuated  to 
future  generations,  "  Abraham  called  the  name  of  that 
place  Jehovah-jireh,"  the  Lord  will  provide.  The 
name  given  to    the   mount   became   proverbial   for  the 


144  Memorial  Volume. 

riches  of  divine  grace.  In  seasons  of  trial  and  sorrow, 
such  was  the  impression  made  by  the  interposition  to 
save  Isaac,  it  was  commonlv  said  in  that  country,  "  In 
the  mount  of  the  Lord  it  shall  be  seen." 

Let  us  consider  for  a  little,  as  here  exhibited,  faith's 
trials,  faith's  endurance  and  faith's  reward. 

I.  f'aith's  trials. 

These  come  not  by  chance,  not  from  the  adversary, 
but  from  God. 

They  are  sent,  not  that  believers  may  be  led  into  the 
commission  of  sin,  not  that  God  may  find  out  their  true 
character,  but,  that  secret  sins  may  be  brought  to  light, 
that  their  own  insufficiency  may  be  realized,  that  faith 
may  be  increased,  that  the  power  of  divine  grace  may  be 
seen  and  that  the  word  ot  the  Lord   may  be  established. 

None  should  ever  dare  to  flatter  themselves  with  the 
vain  hope  that  there  is  any  period  in  life  when  trials  come 
to  an  end, or  that  there  is  anything  too  precious  for  them 
to  be  called  upon  to  offer  upon  the  altar  of  God. 

II.  Faith's  endurance. 

It  hears  the  message  God  delivers  and,  at  once,  unhesi- 
tatingly, resolves  to  act  precisely  as  he  requires.  It  is 
ever  ready  at  his  bidding  to  go  forward  or  stand  still,  to 
do  or  die.  Promptly  and  implicitly,  without  a  moment's 
delay  or  the  slightest  departure  from  the  "  Thus  saith 
the  Lord,"  it  obeys  the  command.  Not  until  obedience, 
entireand  literal,  is  rendered,  is  it  satisfied,  even  although 
the  command  be  to  slay  the  first-born  or  offer  up  the 
only-begotten. 

True  faith  forecasts  the  future,  and  provides  for  con- 
tingencies.    Resolved   to   obey   and   leave  results   with 


Jehovah-jireh.  145 

God,  it  takes  all   necessary  precautions  against  outside 
interference  and  makes  all  needed  provision  for  obedience. 

The  service  it  performs  is  not  compulsory  but  willing. 
It  goes  forth  not  questioning  and  doubting  but  believing. 
New  and  unexpected  difficulties  it  regards  not  as  excuses 
for  neglect  but  as  obstacles  to  be  removed.  After  every 
fresh  trial,  it  becomes  stronger,  until  at  last  its  closing 
act  Is  oftiimes  its  sublimest  triumph. 

At  first  God  tries  faith.  Before  the  trial  is  finished, 
faith  tries  God. 

III.  Faith's  reward. 

A  deliverance  shall  come.  That  faith  will  trust  and 
obey,  never  hesitating,  never  faltering,  and  yet  in  the  end 
be  disappointed,  is  an  impossibility. 

The  deliverance  will  come  from  him  from  whom  has 
come  the  trial. 

It  will  come  in  the  most  opportune  of  all  times,  the 
time  of  our  need. 

It  will  come  in  the  best  of  all  ways,  the  way  in  which 
will  most  clearly  be  seen  the  hand  of  faith's  God  and 
the  reward  of  faith's  endurance. 

It  will  come  with  a  fulness  the  boldest  never  dared  to 
expect  or  even  think  of.  The  blessing  will  be  bestowed. 
The  mount  of  trial  will  become  a  mount  of  vision. 
"Jehovah-jireh,"  the  Lord  will  provide,  '^  In  the  mount 
of  the  Lord  it  shall  be  seen." 

I.  Expect  trials.  II.  Still  trust  in  God.  III.  Have 
respect  unto  the  recompense  of  reward. 

"  Blessed  is  the  man  that  endureth  temptation  :  for 
when  he  is  tried,  he  shall  receive  the  crown  of; life, 
which  the  Lord  hath  promised  to  them  that  love  him." 
James    1:12. 


146 


III. 

CHRIST,  HIS  EXCELLENCE  AND  LOVE. 

BY  REV.  J.   HUNTER. 

Song  of  Solomon  i  :  2.  **  Let  him  kiss  me  with  the  kisses  of  his  mouth  : 
for  thy  love  is  better  than  wine." 

There  is  none  that  the  believer  delights  to  honor  so 
much  as  the  King,  whose  name  is  the  Lord  of  Hosts, 
the  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  His  fellowship  he  ardently 
desires.  Hence  the  request,  "Let  him  kiss  me  with  the 
kisses  of  his  mouth  :  for  thy  love  is  better  than  wine.'* 
In  truth  this  whole  book  is  simply  a  conversation  between 
Christ  and  the  believer,  the  church  and  her  head.  "  Let 
him  kiss  me."  She  is  first  in  the  conversation.  Not 
that  she  is  first  in  love  or  first  in  manifesting  her  love  to 
Christ,  for  he  loved  her  with  an  everlasting  love  ;  with 
loving  kindness  he  had  drawn  her,  yea,  he  had  drawn  her 
with  the  bands  of  love.  His  love  is  not  only  prior  to 
but  stronger  and  more  ardent  than  hers.  But  her  inti- 
macy with  him  was  not  everything  she  could  wish  ;  hence 
these  words  show  her  impatience  and  longing  desire  for 
fuller  communion  with  Christ.  Hope  deferred  maketh 
the  heart  sick.  His  absence  was  more  than  she  was  able 
to  bear.  She  ardently  desired  his  presence,  which  was 
better  than  life.  ''  Let  him  kiss  me  with  the  kisses  of  his 
mouth."  She  had  enjoyed  sweet  communion  with  him 
in  the  past,  knew  the  excellency  of  his  love,  and  longed 
for  the  gracious  manifestation  of  his  favors.  She  loved 
him  and  wished  that  love  to  be  reciprocated.  She  hun- 
gered and  thirsted  after  righteousness. 


Christ,  his  Excellence  and  Love.         147 

We  have  here,  also,  the  person  addressed.  "  Let  him 
kiss  me."  Christ  is  meant  here  and  eminently  typified 
by  Solomon  in  the  preceding  verse.  He  was  the  beloved 
of  his  father  ;  so  Christ  is  God's  beloved  Son.  Solomon 
was  wise  ;  in  Christ  are  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and 
knowledge.  He  was  rich  in  possessions  ;  Christ  is  heir 
of  all  things.  His  dominions  were  extensive  ;  Christ  is 
King  of  kings,  yea.  Lord  of  the  whole  earth.  The  one- 
half  of  the  greatness  of  Solomon  had  not  been  told. 
Who  by  searching  can  find  out  Christ  or  know  the  Al- 
mighty unto  perfection  ?  The  growing  fame  of  Solomon 
attracted  the  Queen  of  the  South  to  see  his  greatness. 
The  rising  and  spreading  fame  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the 
church  will  draw  all  men  unto  him.  ^'  The  Gentiles  shall 
come  to  thy  light,  and  kings  to  the  brightness  of  thy 
rising."  The  type  is  great,  the  anti-type  surpassing.  A 
greater  than  Solomon  is  here,  the  precious  Saviour  in 
all  his  loveliness  and  in  all  his  fulness.  The  spouse  was 
ravished  with  his  love.  ''Let  him  kiss  me."  The  eye 
of  her  faith  saw  him  ;  she  was  full  of  Christ.  He  was 
all  in  all  to  her.  She  thought  of  him  as  if  there  were 
no  other  in  the  world.  Such  is  the  case  when  the  be- 
liever's heart  is  full  of  Christ.  All  other  objects  of 
affection  are  excluded.  Thus  it  was  with  Mary  at  the 
sepulchre  :  "  Sir,  if  thou  have  borne  him  hence,  tell  me 
where  thou  have  laid  him,  and  I  will  take  him  away." 
His  perfections  overcame  her.  The  brightness  of  the 
Father's  glory,  the  express  image  of  his  person,  beamed 
on  her  soul.  He,  the  only-begotten,  full  of  grace  and 
truth,  God,  equal  with  the  Father,  the  corner-stone  of  all 
her  hope.     His  indescribable  perfections  enraptured  her. 


148  Memorial  Volume. 

A  glimpse  of  the  uncreated  glory  of  God  shining  in  the 
face  of  Jesus  Christ  illumined  her  soul.  He  was  the 
chiefest  among  ten  thousand  and  altogether  lovely  ;  all 
her  salvation  and  all  her  desire.  In  him  she  had  every- 
thing, bread,  water,  raiment,  friend,  physician,  advocate, 
.sight,  life,  salvation,  and  hence  she  says,  *'  Let  him  kiss 
me  with  the  kisses  of  his  mouth." 

The  believer  under  the  law  longed  and  anxiously  waited 
for  his  incarnation,  ardently  desiring  to  see  the  salvation 
of  Israel  coming  out  of  Zion.  Christ's  coming  in  the 
flesh  brought  that  redemption  near  for  which  the  godly 
waited.  Let  "thy  servant  depart  in  peace  ;  for  mine  eyes 
have  seen  thy  salvation."  By  the  kisses  of  his  mouth 
are  meant  the  blessings  of  the  gospel,  not  the  sharp  and 
severe  rebukes  of  the  law,  but  the  mild  and  sweet 
consolations  of  grace  manifested  through  the  gospel  of 
Christ.  These  are  the  words  of  Christ's  mouth.  The 
intimations  of  his  love,  brought  home  to  the  soul  by 
the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  drop  as  sweet  smelling 
myrrh.  They  raise  the  affections,  and  fill  the  heart 
with  holy  emotions.  They  are  incentives  to  love.  Gos- 
pel truths  open  the  mind^  let  light  into  the  soul,  and 
are  accompanied  with  large  measures  of  love.  The  gospel 
is  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation,  for  faith  cometh  by 
hearing  and  hearing  by  the  word  of  God,  works  by  love, 
purifies  the  heart,  and  overcomes  the  world.  Christ's 
love  comforts  us  in  all  our  troubles,  is  heaven  on  earth, 
glory  begun. 

Kisses  are  tokens  of  affection  among  nearest  friends, 
pledges  of  love.  They  are  expressive  of  intimacy,  union 
and  communion.     We  are  brought  to  draw  comfort  from 


Christ,  his  Excellenxe  and  Love.        149 

God  in  Christ,  the  source  of  all  joy,  for  out  of  his  fu  - 
ness  have  all  v^^e  received  and  grace  for  grace.  His 
paths  drop  of  their  fatness  down  upon  us  ;  so  that  here 
in  our  earthly  pilgrimage,  we  are  sustained,  having  re- 
newed manifestations  of  the  love  of  Christ — as  in  these 
tokens  of  his  love.* 

Thy  love  is  better  than  wine.  Experience  had  brought 
her  to  appreciate  this  love  very  highly.  She  discovered 
it  in  the  bread  and  wine.  These  are  the  sensible  pledges 
thereof,  for  they  bring  before  the  mind  all  Christ's  en- 
gagements for  the  believer,  lost  and  undone  by  nature, 
but  found  and  redeemed  by  him.  His  love  was  set  upon 
me,  says  the  spouse,  not  because  I  was  lovely,  but  that  he 
might  make  me  lovely  and  present  me  a  glorious  church 
unto  God,  without  blemish  and  without  spot,  beautifier 
and  adorned  as  a  bride  for  her  husband.  O  !  the  love  of 
Christ  in  dying  for  our  sins  !  Greater  love  hath  no  man 
than  this,  thai  a  man  lay  down  his  life  for  his  friends. 
But  Christ's  love  was  greater,  for  he  laid  down  his  life 
for  his  enemies. 

Many  are  the  blessings  that  flow  from  the  love  of  Christ. 
Vocation,  justification,  adoption,  sanctification,  glorifi- 
cation. Who  can  know  it .?  It  is  immeasurable,  incon- 
ceivable, passing  the  knowledge  either  of  men  or  angels. 
Think  of  it  in  its  length,  breadth,  depth,  and  height, 
the  view  increasing  as  the  believer  advances  on  his  heav- 
enly journey.  It  is  like  the  rising  of  water,  first  to 
the  ankles,  then  the  knees,  then  the  loins,  then  water  to 
swim    in,  a  river  that  cannot  be   passed,  an  ocean  of 

*  Here  the  elements  were  distributed. 
13 


150  Memorial  Volume. 

love,  bottomless,  shoreless,  boundless,  on  the  wide  ex- 
panse of  which  you  may  sail,  but  the  limits  thereof  you 
can  never  reach.  Such  is  the  love  of  Christ  "  Thy 
love  is  better  than  wine." 

It  is  free  and  sovereign  in  its  origin  and  application. 
Though  we  were  without  merit,  yet  it  is  freely  bestowed 
upon  us.  "  Better  than  wine,"  "  without  money  and 
without  price."  It  is  perennial,  flowing  from  the  eternal 
fount.  Before  the  highest  parts  of  the  dust  of  the  earth 
were  formed,  Christ  rejoiced,  his  delights  were  with  the 
sons  of  men.  Wine  fails,  but  the  love  of  Christ  is  in- 
exhaustible, for  having  loved  his  own,  he  loves  them  to 
the  end.     For  he  changes  not. 

The  love  of  friends  abates,  but  Christ  is  a  friend  that 
sticketh  closer  than  a  brother.  Neither  life  nor  death 
can  separate  from  the  love  of  God  which  is  in  Christ 
Jesus  our  Lord.  It  is  divine  love.  "As  the  Father 
hath  loved  me,  so  have  I  loved  you.'*  Amazing  love  ! 
It  discovers  Christ,  cherishes  the  soul,  fills  with  heavenly 
emotion,  gives  foretastes  of  glory.  Age  makes  wine 
good;  "the  old  is  better."  But  this  love  is  eternal, 
pure,  without  dregs  or  lees,  unfeigned  love,  a  pure  river 
of  water  of  life.  It  never  fails ;  nor  is  it  for  the  rich 
only,  but  the  poor  ;  whosoever  will,  let  him  take  of  the 
water  of  life  freely,  for  there  is  no  scarcity  ;  it  is  ever 
flowing. 

Better  is  it  in  its  efi^ects  ;  wine  may  cheer  the  heavy 
heart,  but  will  not  bring  the  dead  to  life.  But  the  love 
of  Christ  will.  His  passing  by  was  a  time  of  love.  He 
said  unto  us  when  in  our  blood,  dead  in  trespasses  and 
sins.  Live.     This  love,  shed  abroad  in  the  heart  by  the 


Christ,  his  Excellence  and  Love.        151 

power  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  will  save  the  soul  from  death. 
"Wine  may  for  a  little  drown  and  remove  worldly  sor- 
rows, but  can  never  remove  spiritual  doubts  or  give  as- 
surance of  heavenly  felicities.  This  love  unites  to 
Christ  and  fills  the  soul  with  joy  unspeakable  and  full 
of  glory.  The  effects  of  wine  will  die  away,  but  the 
effects  of  this,  never.  They  will  always  increase,  dis- 
pelling darkness  and  filling  the  soul  with  joy.  "  The 
path  of  the  just  is  as  the'  shining  light,  that  shineth 
more  and  more  unto  the  perfect  day." 

When  Christ  holds  communion  with  his  people,  they 
know  the  excellency  of  his  love  ;  it  is  better  than  wine. 
"  Because  of  the  savor  of  thy  good  ointments,"  "  there- 
fore do  the  virgins  love  thee."  Being  impressed  with  a 
sense  of  Christ's  love  here,  and  anticipating  a  full  real- 
ization of  it  hereafter,  in  glory,  we  go  from  his  table, 
singing  his  praise. 


152 


IV. 
CHRIST  EVER  PRESENT  WITH  HIS  PEUri^x:.. 

BY  REV.  R.  J.  SHARPE. 

Matt.  2J8  :  ao.     "Lo,  I  am  with  you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the 
world.    Amen." 

This  precious  promise  was  given  by  Christ  to  his  dis- 
ciples just  before  his  ascension.  It  was  evidently  in- 
tended to  comfort  and  strengthen  them  in  view  of  car- 
rying out  the  great  commission  he  had  just  given  them, 
to  evangelize  the  world.  We  may  not  limit  this  promise 
to  those  who  were  first  entrusted  with  the  official  procla- 
mation of  the  gospel,  nor  is  it  confined  to  their  success- 
ors in  the  ministry  in  after  ages  ;  it  is  the  heritage  of  all 
the  saints.  It  is  evident  from  the  terms  in  which  it  is  ex- 
pressed, that  it  was  designed  to  animate  the  followers  of 
Christ  in  all  ages  in  their  efforts  to  make  the  knowledge  of 
his  salvation  co-extensive  with  the  world.  The  Saviour 
does  not  simply  assure  his  disciples  of  his  omnipresence, 
as  if  he  said,  "  I  am  with  you  as  I  am  with  all  things  in 
heaven  and  on  earth;"  but  "I  am  with  you  in  a  special 
sense  as  the  Mediator,  as  your  Saviour-King,  to  accom- 
plish the  ends  contemplated  in  my  mission  for  you  and 
required  by  your  necessities  for  time  and  eternity."  Christ 
is  with  all  his  people  by  his  Spirit  to  strengthen,  comfort, 
sanctify  and  save  them. 

The  divine  King  and  Head  of  Zion  has  appointed  or- 
dinances in  his  church  on  earth,  in  the  diligent  use  of 
which  it  is  both  the  duty  and  privilege  of  his  people  to 
seek  and  to  enjoy  his  presence.     Very  prominent  among 


Christ  eve^  present  with  his  People.     153 

these  ordinances  of  divine  grace  is  the  sacrament  of  the 
supper,  of  which  you  are  now  called  to  partake.  Under 
the  appropriate  symbols  of  bread  and  wine,  you  are  to 
behold  your  crucified,  exalted  and  ever-present  Saviour. 
You  have  here  the  fulness  of  new  covenant  blessings 
exhibited  to  you  as  secured  by  your  Surety's  death, 
and  are  called  upon  to  partake  of  them  by  faith,  to  your 
spiritual  nourishment  and  growth  in  grace.  Christ  is 
fulfilling  his  promise  to  you  to-day  :  "  Lo,  I  am  with 
you  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."* 

Consider  for  a  few  moments  longer  the  import  of  that 
promise  to  which  your  attention  has  been  already  called. 

Christ  is  with  you  to  strengthen  you  for  the  discharge 
of  all  duty.     There  is  no  lesson  more  important  to  the 
Christian  than  this  :    "  Without  me  ye  can  do  nothing." 
He  is  not  left  to  sink  under  a  sense  of  his  own  weakness, 
however,  for  he  can  say  in  holy  confidence  and  triumph, 
"  Through  Christ  strengthening  me  I  can  do  all  things." 
The  duties  of  the  Christian  calling  are  many  and  attended 
frequently   with  appalling   difficulties.     There   are   mo- 
ments when  the   Christian   feeling  himself  powerless  in 
the  presence  of  some  urgent  duty  or  impending  responsi- 
bility, says,  with  a  crushing  sense  of  his  own  incompe- 
tency, weakness  and  unworthiness,  "  Who  is  sufficient 
for  these  things  ?"       Yet,  going  forward  in  the  discharge 
of  duty,  in  obedience  to  the  Master  and  in  dependence 
on   his  aid,  he  is    able  afterwards  to    say  with    the    il- 
lustrious apostle  of  the   Gentiles,  "  When  I  am   weak, 
then  am  I  strong." 

Duty  to  Christ  and  duty  to  perishing  souls  require  no 

*Here  the  elements  were  distributed. 


154  Memorial  VoLUMa. 

small  amount  of  courage,  zeal  and  spiritual  power. 
Sacrifices  must  be  made,  opposition  encountered,  hardness 
endured  by  us,  as  good  soldiers  of  the  cross  of  Christ. 
The  Master  sends  none  a  warfare  at  his  own  charges. 
Therefore,  whenever  he  calls  and  to  whatever  he  calls, 
we  may  cheerfully  go,  in  the  confident  assurance  that 
"  He  will  never  leave  us  and  never  forsake  us."  "  He 
giveth  power  to  the  faint,  and  to  them  that  have  no  might 
he  increaseth  strength." 

He  is  with  you  to  sustain  you  in  all  your  trials. 
Through  sorrow  and  tribulation  the  saints  enter  the  king- 
dom. Christ  assures  all  his  followers  that  in  this  world 
they  shall  have  tribulation.  They  are  made  to  pass 
through  deep,  dark  waters,  and  are  cast  sometimes  into 
the  fiery  furnace,  but  one  like  unto  the  Son  of  man  is 
ever  present  to  uphold  and  comfort  and  in  due  time  to 
rescue  them  from  all  their  distresses.  "When  thou  passest 
through  the  waters,  I  will  be  with  thee  ;  and  through  the 
rivers,  they  shall  not  overflow  thee  :  when  thou  walkest 
through  the  fire,  thou  shall  not  be  burned;  neither  shall 
the  flame  kindle  upon  thee."  Remember,  afflicted 
Christian,  that  "in  all  your  afflictions  he  is  afflicted." 
Human  sympathy  may  be  wanting  in  the  hour  of  your 
distress  and  human  hands  powerless  to  aid  you,  but  the 
heart  of  your  Redeemer  ever  beats  in  sympathy  with  you, 
and  his  omnipotent  arm  is  pledged  for  your  deliverance. 
You  may  be  ready  to  say  with  the  patriarch  Jacob  when 
bereaved  of  his  children,  "All  these  things  are  agiiinst 
me,"  but  they  are  wholly  for  you,  instead.  "All  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  who  are  the  called  ac- 
cording to  his  purpose."     Your  necessities  require  all  the 


Christ  ever  present  with  his  People.     155 

bitter  experiences  vou  shall  ever  have.  Your  loving  Re- 
deemer cannot  wantonly  afflict  you.  Infinite  vv^isdom 
and  love  characterize  all  his  dealings  with  you.  The 
precious  fruit  of  affliction  is  the  purging  away  of  sin. 
In  ail  your  sufferings  the  end  in  view  is  your  perfection, 
that  you  may  be  presented  at  last  in  the  presence  of 
God  "  without  spot  or  wrinkle  or  any  such  thing." 

He  is  with  you  to  note  your  fidelity  and  devotion  to 
his  cause.  The  obligations  which  bind  you  as  the  fol- 
lowers of  Christ  are  weighty  indeed.  He  has  given  him- 
self for  you,  and  it  is  your  reasonable  service  to  give 
yourselves  to  him.  He  requires  your  supreme  affection 
and  your  devoted  life-long  service  in  the  cause  of  truth 
and  righteousness.  You  have  professed  to  acquiesce  in 
these  claims  of  Christ.  As  his  covenanted  witnesses 
with  all  the  solemnity  of  an  oath,  you  have  enlisted  in  his 
service.  Many  rivals  will  dispute  his  place  in  your  affec- 
tions. Other  masters  will  claim  your  allegiance  and  ser- 
vice. Repudiate  them  all.  You  are  witnesses  for 
Christ's  mediatorial  claims,  one  and  all.  He  is  the  only 
infallible  prophet,  the  only  high-priest  who  has  made  per- 
fect atonement  for  the  sins  of  his  people,  and  the  only 
universal  king.  Urge  the  recognition  of  his  claims  in 
all  these  offices,  upon  all  men  whom  you  can  reach  by 
tongue,  and  pen,  and  holy  example.  Be  especially  mind- 
ful of  his  kingly  claims  as  they  are  specially  ignored  in 
these  days,  not  merely  by  ungodly  men,  but  by  rebellious 
nations,  and  even  by  some  who  profess  to  be  his  friends. 
Your  Redeemer's  glory  shall  not  be  fully  manifested  on 
this  earth  until  all  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  shall  do 
him  homage.    "  He  hath  on  his  vesture  and  on  his  thigh 


156  Memorial  Volume. 

a  name  written,  King  of  kings,  and  Lord  of  lords." 
This  is  no  unmeaning  title.  He  shall  yet  be  crowned 
Lord  of  all.  He  is  guiding  the  world  in  his  mysterious 
and  resistless  providence  to  ultimate  submission  to  his 
throne  and  sceptre,  managing  in  infinite  wisdom  the  forces 
of  evil,  so  that  while  they  seem  to  prevail  they  are  but 
preparing  overwhelming  defeat  for  themselves.  Be  found 
ever  on  his  side  as  against  every  form  of  moral  evil,  con- 
vinced that  his  eyesas  a  flame  of  fire  are  upon  you,  and 
hear  his  voice  louder  and  more  impressive  than  the  sound 
of  many  waters  saying  unto  you,  "  Be  thou  faithful  unto 
death,  and  I  will  give  thee  a  crown  of  life." 

He  is  with  you  to  defend  you  from  all  your  enemies 
and  to  conduct  you  home  to  your  eternal  rest.  The 
Christian  life  is  a  warfare.  Corruption  in  the  heart  is  the 
most  formidable  foe  of  the  Christian.  Satan  can  only 
conquer  by  inducing  to  sin.  The  success  of  his  assaults 
depends  upon  the  co-operation  of  the  allies  that  lurk 
within  the  citadel  of  the  heart.  Subtle,  malicious  and 
vengeful  in  the  extreme,  and  withal  possessing  marvel- 
lous skill  in  the  work  of  destroying  souls,  your  adver- 
sary, the  devil,  goeth  about  as  a  roaring  lion,  seeking 
whom  he  may  devour.  But  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of 
Judah  is  more  than  a  match  for  him.  Little  would  hu- 
man skill  and  strength  avail  against  the  invisible  legions 
of  darkness  with  which  the  follower  of  Jesus  has  to  con- 
tend, but  the  Captain  of  salvation  has  met  and  van- 
quished them.  "  Through  death  he  destroyed  him  that 
had  the  power  of  death,  that  is,  the  devil."  He  has  given 
his  people  a  safe  conduct  which  the  prince  of  hell  cannot 
annul.      He  is  on  their  right  hand  and  on  their  left,  that 


Christ  ever  present  with  his  People.     157 

they  may  not  be  moved.  The  struggling,  toiling,  warring 
Christian  may  look  forward  with  confidence  to  the  victo- 
rious issue  of  the  conflict  in  which  he  is  engaged  with 
sin  and  Satan.  Whither  is  the  fore-runner  guiding  his 
faithful  followers  ?  To  eternal  rest.  After  all  the  con- 
flicts of  life  are  ended,  its  sorrows  endured,  its  trials  borne, 
there  remaineth  a  rest  to  the  people  of  God.  Their  Saviour 
is  with  them  alway,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world,  that 
they  may  be  with  him  world  without  end.  Courage- 
ously, then,  faithfully  and  hopefully,  work  in  the  vine- 
yard of  your  Master.  Consoled  by  his  presence,  guided 
by  his  power,  and  animated  by  his  gracious  promises, 
even  in  the  most  trying  moments  of  your  lives,  lose  not 
sight  of  the  certain  recompense  of  reward.  For  "  the 
ransomed  of  the  Lord  shall  return,  and  come  to  Zion 
with  songs,  and  everlasting  joy  upon  their  heads  :  they 
shall  obtain  joy  and  gladness,  and  sorrow  and  sighing 
shall  flee  away." 


158 


OUR  WORK,  A  WORK  OF  REFORMATION. 

BY  REV.  JOHN  FRENCH. 

Fathers  and  Brothers :  We  need  not  say  that  the 
services  of  this  and  the  past  days  have  been  solemn  and 
impressive.  We  trust  that  we  all  feel  they  have  been 
such.  We  ought  to  cherish  the  remembrance  of  them, 
and  endeavor  always  to  feel  the  obligation  of  our  solemn 
vows  and  covenant. 

When  Barnabas  went  from  Jerusalem  to  Antioch,  and 
saw  the  grace  of  God  in  the  work  of  revival,  then  he 
was  glad,  and  exhorted  them  all  "  that  with  purpose  of 
heart  they  would  cleave  unto  the  Lord."  The  evident 
tokens  of  God's  favor  to  us,  and  his  power  in  drawing 
us  together,  in  heart  and  mind,  should  and  do  fill  our 
hearts  with  gladness.  United  we  are  powerful.  Bound 
together  by  an  ardent  affection  for  Christ  and  for  each 
other,  and  by  the  strong  bond  of  our  covenant,  we  may 
expect  to  be  instrumental  in  winning  souls  to  Christ,  and 
in  advancing  his  cause  in  the  world,  as  we  have  never 
been  before.  We  should  apply  to  ourselves  the  exhort- 
ation of  Barnabas,  "  With  purpose  of  heart  cleave  unto 
the  Lord."  With  a  firm  mind  and  a  fixed  resolution  we 
should  pay  our  vows  and  be  constant  and  conscientious 
in  our  fidelity  to  our  divine  Master.  We  must  cleave  to 
his  truth,  his  law,  his  ordinances,  his  despised  claims  and 
his  people.  In  our  covenant  we  have  firmly  bound  our- 
selves to  our  divine  Master,  to  be  his  servants,  and  to 
serve  him.  And  now  he  has  given  us  work  to  do,  an 
extensive  work,  a  work  of  reformation. 


Our  Work  a  Work  of  Reformation*.      159 

Let  us  begin  then,  ist.  In  our  own  hearts.  Much 
there  needs  reforming.  See  that  we  are  personally  in- 
terested in  the  salvation  of  Christ.  We  need  not  ex- 
pect, if  out  of  Christ,  to  be  the  honored  instruments  01 
reforming  the  world  and  bringing  the  nation  into  sub- 
jection to  him.  Let  us  be  in  subjection  ourselves,  in 
heart  and  in  life,  to  Christ  our  glorious  Mediator  and 
Lord. 

2d.  In  our  families.  With  many  of  us,  we  have  no 
doubt,  there  is  much  needed  work  to  be  done  in  our  house- 
holds, more  parental  instruction  to  be  imparted,  and  more 
rigid  discipline  to  be  enforced.  Upon  us  all  more  than 
ever  before,  is  incumbent  the  duiy  to  act  in  reference  to 
the  everlasting  welfare  of  those  whom  God  has  given  us. 

3d.  In  our  studies.  There  should  be  more  diligence  in 
study,  more  prayer,  more  reliance  on  the  Spirit  for  aid, 
more  anxious  longing  and  travail  for  perishing  sinners. 

4th.  In  our  public  exercises  and  in  all  our  official  du- 
ties. We  should  endeavor  to  realize  that  wc  act  as 
agents  for  Christ,  and  the  stewards  of  his  house. 

If  we  are  sincere  and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of  all 
these  duties  we  may  expect  to  be  successful  in  the  defence 
of  the  truth,  and  in  the  maintenance  of  the  claims  of 
Christ  as  the  Prince  of  the  kings  of  the  earth  and  Gov- 
ernor among  the  nations.  And  in  the  end  we  may  an- 
ticipate the  soul-thrilling  approbation  of  our  divine  Master 
and  Judge,  "  Come,  ye  blessed  of  my  Father,  inherit  the 
kingdom  prepared  for  you  from  the  foundation  of  the 
world."  "  Thou  hast  been  faithful  over  a  few  things,  1 
will  make  thee  ruler  over  many  things  :  enter  thou  into 
the  joy  of  thy  Lord."     Amen. 


i6o 


THE    NATURE  AND  GROUND  OF    POLIT- 
ICAL DISSENT. 

BY  REV.  D.  m'aLLISTER. 

Heb.  II  :  24-16.  "By  faith  Moses,  when  he  was  come  to  years,  refused 
to  be  called  the  son  of  Pharaoh's  daughter 5  choosing  rather  to  suffer  afflic- 
tion with  the  people  of  God,  than  to  enjoy  the  pleasures  of  sin  for  a  season  : 
esteeming  the  reproach  of  Christ  greater  riches  than  th:  treasures  in  Egypt; 
for  he  had  respect  unto  the  recompense  of  the  reward.'' 

Eminent  among  the  illustrious  examples  of  faith 
grouped  together  in  this  chapter,  is  that  of  Moses. 
His  choice,  of  which  the  text  speaks,  exhibits  in  a  re- 
markable manner  the  power  of  that  principle  before  de- 
fined as  "  the  substance  of  things  hoped  for,  and  the 
evidence  of  things  not  seen."  Taken  in  infancy  by  the 
daughter  of  Pharaoh  from  the  basket  of  flags  that  floated 
upon  the  Nile,  he  became  her  son.  And  whether  it  be 
true  or  not,  that,  as  tradition  affirms,  the  princess  who 
adopted  "  the  child  of  the  water'*  was  herself  childless, 
and  that  her  adopted  son  was  heir  to  the  throne  of  Egypt 
and  all  the  accumulated  treasures  of  a  long  line  of  kings, 
it  is  at  lea  st  clear  that  as  the  recognized  son  of  the  daughter 
of  a  monarch  who  ruled  over  one  of  the  richest  and  most 
civilized  nations  of  antiquity,  he  had  before  him  the  pros- 
pect of  such  affluence  and  honor  as  few  could  hope  to 
possess.  And  yet,  when  he  reached  maturity,  he  refused 
to  be  called  the  son  of  Pharaoh's  daughter. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  suppose  that  there  was  some  great 
public  occasion  when  Moses,  rather  than  perform  an  act 
amounting  to  a  renunciation  of  the  religion  of  his  people. 


Nature  and  Ground  of  Political  Dissent.     i6i 

surrendered  formally  the  title  he  had  worn  and  the  honors 
connected  with  it.  In  the  very  nature  of  things  the 
time  had  come  for  a  decisive  choice.  On  the  one  hand 
were  Egyptian  oppressors.  On  the  other  hand  were  the 
oppressed  Hebrews.  No  one  come  to  man's  estate  could 
remain  on  friendly  terms  with  both  parties.  He  must 
declare  himself  and  act  accordingly.  Thus  it  was  with 
the  young  Hebrew,  as  soon  as  "  he  was  come  to  years." 
He  made  prompt  decision.  Casting  off  the  proud  title 
which  he  might  have  continued  to  wear,  turning  his 
back  upon  the  pleasures  of  the  most  cultivated  court  of 
the  age  and  the  treasures  of  the  land  of  riches,  he  cast  in 
his  lot  with  the  afflicted  people  of  God,  and  took  upon 
himself  the  reproach  of  Christ,  "  for  he  had  respect  unto 
the  recompense  of  the  reward." 

This  choice  of  Moses  illustrates  a  principle  of  conduct 
applicable  in  all  circumstances  of  the  Christian  life — the 
life  of  faith.  It  may  be  employed,  however,  with  spe- 
cial propriety,  in  illustration  of  the  position  of  the  Re- 
formed Presbyterian  Church,  in  regard  to  unscripturally 
constituted  civil  governments.  The  members  of  the  Re- 
formed Presbyterian  Church  of  North  America,  like 
their  fathers  and  brothers  of  other  lands,  and  like  Moses 
of  old,  feel  constrained  to  accept  disadvantages  and  suf- 
ferings rather  than  become  identified  with  the  govern- 
ment under  which  they  live.  This  position  of  political 
dissent  from  the  United  States  government,  which  in  cir- 
cumstances of  the  most  interesting  and  solemn  kind  we 
yesterday  swore  faithfully  to  maintain,  has  often  been 
misstated,  and  still  oftener  misunderstood.  By  many,  the 
reasons  for  occupying  and  maintaining  it  have  not  been 


i62  Memorial  Volume. 

duly  weighed.     The  aim  in  view  to-night  is  to  state  and 
show  good  reason  for  our  position  of  political  dissent. 

I.  The    position    of  political  dissent  stated  and   ex- 
plained. 

I.  It  is  not  the  exercise  of  the  right  of  expatriation.  This 
right,  or  the  right  to  quit  one's  native  country  and  re- 
nounce allegiance  to  it,  long  denied  by  the  most  of  the 
European  governments,  and  controverted  by  many  per- 
sons in  our  own  country,  is  at  length  generally  acknowl- 
edged. A  considerable  proportion  of  the  members  of  our 
church  have  availed  themselves  of  this  right,  quitting  the 
land  of  their  birth  to  come  and  settle  here.  But  such  re- 
nunciation of  country,  though  it  may  have  been  occa- 
sioned by  wrongs  in  the  government  of  the  country  left, 
is  not  political  dissent.  The  very  idea  of  dissent  from 
the  action  of  a  society  implies  connection  with  it.  Polit- 
ical dissent  from  the  government  of  a  nation  implies  per- 
manent residence  in  that  nation.  We  may  testify  against 
evils  in  the  government  of  a  country  with  which  we  have 
no  connection  by  birth  or  adoption,  or  from  which  we 
may  have  expatriated  ourselves,  but  we  cannot  properly 
be  said  to  dissent  from  its  government.  It  is  as  Ameri- 
can citizens — not  members  of  the  political  society,  indeed, 
but  citizens  in  the  broader  and  truer  sense  of  the  term — 
that  Reformed  Presbyterians  in  this  land  occupy  their  po- 
sition of  dissent.  Expatriation,  then,  so  far  from  corre- 
sponding to  political  dissent,  is  utterly  at  variance  with 
it,  as  the  former  renders  the  latter  in  any  particular  case 
impracticable. 

2.    //  is  not  seclusion  and  separation  from  active  participa- 
tion in  national  affairs.      Man  is   a  social  being,   and    by 


Nature  and  Ground  of  Political  Dissent.     163 

the  principles  of  his  nature  has  a  place  and  duties  in  so- 
ciety. Even  if  the  Christian  were  living  under  the  worst 
of  despotisms,  if  he  were  a  captive  in  a  strange  land  of 
tyranny  and  oppression,  the  divine  command  applicable 
to  him,  would  be  that  addressed  to  the  children  of  Judah, 
who  sat  and  wept  by  the  rivers  of  Babylon,  and  whose 
harps  hung  upon  the  willows  :  "  Seek  the  peace  of  the 
city  whither  I  have  caused  you  to  be  carried  away  cap- 
tives, and  pray  unto  the  Lord  for  it :  for  in  the  peace 
thereof  shall  ye  have  peace."  Let  man  be  placed  where 
he  may  in  the  world,  he  is  still  possessed  of  social  facul- 
ties, and  occupies  social  and  civil  relations.  And  whoever 
seeks  to  break  his  relations  to  other  men,  and  cast  ofFthe 
responsibilities  of  such  relations,  fails  in  his  duty  to  God, 
the  author  of  society,  as  well  as  in  his  duties  to  his  fel- 
low men. 

But  particularly  should  the  Christian,  when  the  land  in 
which  he  lives  is  the  land  of  his  choice,  or  his  heritage 
by  birthright,  pray  and  actively  labor  for  its  peace  and 
welfare.  As  Reformed  Presbyterians  we  should  be  the 
most  patriotic,  and  every  way  the  best  of  citizens.  Our 
religion  has  no  more  sympathy  with  civil  than  with  eccle- 
siastical monasticism.  The  mountain  of  our  Zion  is  no 
retreat  for  the  civil  recluse.  The  standards  of  our  faith 
know  nothing  but  disapprobation  for  conduct  like  that 
of  the  devotee  of  literature,  Henry  D.  Thoreau,  who 
sought  to  seclude  himself  from  his  fellow  beings  in  com- 
panionship with  the  irrational  creation  in  the  wilds  of  the 
forest,  and  divest  himself  of  the  responsibilities  of  social 
and  civil  life. 


164  Memorial  Volume. 

Fretted  by  contact  with  the  selfishness  of  society,  and 
disgusted  with  its  meanness,  we  may  longingly  sigh — 

*'  O  for  a  lodge  in  some  vast  wilderness, 
Some  boundless  contiguity  of  shade !  " 

Grieved  and  sore-pained  because  of  the  voice  of  the 
enemy  and  the  oppression  of  the  wicked,  we  may  cry 
out  with  David,  "  Oh  that  I  had  wings  like  a  dove  !  for 
then  would  I  fly  away,  and  be  at  rest.  Lo,  then  would 
I  wander  far  off,  and  remain  in  the  wilderness."  Or 
worn  with  apparently  fruitless  efforts  against  wrong  in 
high  places,  and  hopeless  as  to  the  future  of  our  country 
groaning  under  reigning  iniquity,  we  may  be  ready,  like 
Elijah,  to  abandon  the  field  of  conflict,  and  seek  quiet 
and  repose,  if  not  in  the  solitudes  of  the  desert,  at  least 
in  the  retirement  of  domestic  life.  But  no  !  The  place 
of  difficulty  and  of  labor  is  the  post  of  duty.  Social 
isolation  is  moral  dereliction.  As  a  church  we  most 
emphatically  insist  upon  it  that  patriotism  is  a  duty. 
And  while  we  maintain  a  position  of  political  dissent,  we 
acknowledge  ourselves,  ministers  and  people,  sacredly 
bound  to  pray  and  labor  for  the  welfare  of  our  country. 
No  engrossment  in  business,  no  devotion  to  the  family, 
no  absorption  even  in  the  investigations  of  the  study,  the 
instructions  of  the  pulpit,  or  the  care  of  the  pastorate, 
can  excuse  a  want  of  interest  in  public  affairs,  or  indif- 
ference to  the  obligations  of  social  and  civil  relations. 

3.  Negatively,  ^g^in,  political  dissent  is  not  a  denial  of  the 
legitimacy  of  the  government.  The  nation,  like  the  family, 
has  its  origin  in  the  operation  of  the  principles  implanted 
by   the  Creator  in  man  as  a  social   being.     Unlike  the 


Nature  and  Ground  of  Political  Dissent.     165 

church,  it  is  not  a  supernatural  institution,  founded  in 
grace,  and  intended  to  meet  man's  special  wants  as  a 
self-ruined  sinner.  But  like  the  family,  it  is  a  natural 
Institution,  founded  in  the  essential  principles  of  human 
nature,  and  designed  for  man's  benefit  in  an  unfallen,  no 
less  than  in  a  fallen  condition.  Corresponding  to  the 
family  in  its  origin,  it  corresponds  to  the  family  also  in 
the  source  and  conditions  of  the  legitimacy  of  its  author- 
ity. A  man  and  a  woman,  joining  together  in  wedlock, 
no  matter  what  their  religious  belief  may  be,  form  a  true 
family.  Whether  they  are  Christians  or  heathen,  be- 
lievers or  infidels,  the  moral  being  formed  by  their  union, 
the  family,  is  precisely  the  same  in  its  essential  elements 
in  every  case.  And  in  the  one  case  as  well  as  in  the 
other,  in  that  family  formed  there  is  lodged  by  the 
Creator  a  true  and  legitimate  authority.  Though  the 
family  formed  by  the  union  of  unbelievers  fail,  as  might 
be  expected,  to  acknowledge  God,  its  authority  is  not 
therefore  invalidated.  The  rightfulness  of  the  authority 
of  parents  in  such  a  household  over  their  children  is  un- 
questioned and  unquestionable.  Their  family  govern- 
ment, and  it  alone,  is  legitimate  in  that  family.  In  like 
manner,  when  people  are  brought  together  in  the  provi- 
dence of  God,  and  by  their  union  a  nation  is  formed, 
authority  is  lodged  by  God  himself  in  the  being  thus 
born^  into  the  family  of  nations.  And  this  governing 
authority,  as  expressed  by  the  majority  of  the  people,  is 
the  only  legitimate  authority  in  that  nation.  No  other 
body   of  people    has   any  right    to   set    up   governmental 

*  The  word  nation,  from  the  Latin  nascor,  to   be  born,  itself  embodies 
the  idea  of  providential  superintendtnce  in  the  origin  of  a  nation. 

14''' 


i66  Memorial  Volume. 

authority  In  opposition  or  rivalry  within  the  national  do- 
main. As  the  irreligion  of  a  father  does  not  make  void 
his  authority  in  the  family  in  those  matters  that  are  just 
and  right,  so  "  infidelity  or  difference  in  religion  doth  not 
make  void  the  magistrate's  just  and  legal  authority,  nor 
free  the  people  from  their  due  obedience  to  him."  The 
divine  command  to  teachers  of  Christian  people  in  a 
heathen  country  is,  "Put  them  in  mind  to  be  subject  to 
principalities  and  powers,  to  obey  magistrates."  The 
reason  is,  as  expressed  in  a  similar  connection,  "  for  the 
powers  that  be  are  ordained  of  God."  To  Christians  them- 
selves the  direct  injunction  is  given,  "Submit  yourselves 
to  every  ordinance  of  man  for  the  Lord's  sake:  whether 
it  be  to  the  king,  as  supreme ;  or  unto  governors,  as  unto 
them  that  are  sent  by  him  for  the  punishment  of  evil- 
doers, and  for  the  praise  of  them  that  do  well."  And  the 
ground  for  this  injunction  is  the  truth  that  "  there  is  no 
power  but  of  God."  There  is  no  basis  here  for  the  doc- 
trine of  "the  divine  right  of  kings,"  nor  is  there  any  de- 
nial of  the  right  of  revolution.  "  For  as  the  obedience 
is  demanded  because  of  God's  appointment,  then  it  is  not 
demanded  in  matters  contrary  to  God's  appointment. 
When  the  civil  power  contradicts  God's  word  and  his 
voice  in  our  conscience,  then  it  contradicts  and  subverts 
its  own  authority."*  But  where  there  are  no  tyranny  and 
oppression  to  justify  revolution,  then  the  authority  as 
lodged  in  the  people,  taken  collectively,  whether  the  gov- 
ernment be  avowedly  religious  or  not,  is  unquestionably 
legitimate,  just  as  is  the  authority  of  a  father,  whether  he 

*  Rev.  M.  B.  RiJdle,  in  note  in  Lange's  Commentary  on  Romans,  chap, 
xii!,  I. 


Nature  and  Ground  of  Political  Dissent.      167 

be  a  believer  or  an  Infidel.  Thus  the  existing  govern- 
ment of  this  nation,  be  its  religious  character  what  it 
may,  is  acknowledged  as  the  only  human  power  having 
rightful  civil  authority  over  us,  and  obedience  is  cheer- 
fully and  conscientiously  yielded  to  all  its  commands 
which  do  not  conflict  with  the  supreme  law  of  God. 

4.  We  are  now  prepared  to  state  positively  that  political 
dissent  is  a  refusal  to  incorporate  with  the  political  society  of 
the  nation.  The  word  "  citizen"  is  sometimes  used  in  a 
limited  sense,  as  equivalent  in  meaning  to  the  phrase, 
"member  of  the  political  society."  When  used  in  this 
sense  it  should  be  qualified  by  the  word  "  voting."  Voting 
citizens,  or  legally  qualified  electors,  are  the  governing 
body  of  the  nation  in  the  last  resort.  In  every  nation 
only  a  fraction  of  the  citizens  form  this  governing  body 
or  political  society.  In  this  country,  women,  minors,  and 
some  other  classes,  constituting  in  all  about  four-fifths  or 
over  of  the  whole  population,  are  excluded.  The  re- 
maining one  fifth  are  not  only  citizens,  and  sustain  not 
only  civil  relations,  but  are  also  creators  of  the  constitu- 
tion, and  ratifiers  of  the  compact  by  which  the  nation  is 
to  be  governed,  and  sustain  political  relations,  peculiar 
to  themselves.  Political  dissent  Is  a  refusal  to  enter  into 
this  political  society  or  governing  body  of  the  nation. 

In  our  own  country,  the  members  of  the  political  so- 
ciety are  bound  together  by  a  specific  and  definite  com- 
pact or  covenant,  the  written  constitution  of  the  United 
States,  according  to  the  provisions  and  stipulations  of 
which  they  most  solemnly  agree  to  govern  the  nation. 
Such  a  compact  or  written  constitution  of  government 
there  ought  to  be.    At  least  it  has  many  advantages  over 


i68  Memorial   Volume. 

« 

an  unwritten  constitution.  There  should  also  be  a  sol- 
emn engagement  by  oath,  on  the  part  of  the  members  of 
the  political  society,  either  directly  and  personally  when 
becoming  qualified  as  electors,  or  indirectly,  yet  really, 
through  their  representative  agents  in  the  actual  adminis- 
tration of  the  government,  to  govern  the  nation  in  strict 
accordance  with  the  written  compact. 

In  taking  our  position  of  political  dissent,  we  object  not 
to  having  a  definite  written  compact,  nor  to  an  oath  to 
support  it,  but  to  the  essential  character  of  the  political 
covenant  as  it  now  stands.  Being  such  as  it  is,  we  can- 
not bind  ourselves  to  take  part  in  governing  the  nation 
according  to  it.  We  are  constrained  conscientiously  to 
stand  apart,  and  refuse  to  become  identified  with  the 
governing  body  of  the  nation.  Such  a  position  of  dissent 
and  separation  should  certainly  not  be  taken  except  on 
good  ground  and  for  sufficient  reason.  And  as  we 
yesterday  renewed  our  covenant  with  God  and  with  each 
other  to  maintain  this  position,  it  is  now  a  suitable  time 
to  state  the  reasons  why  it  is  taken  and  held. 

II.   Reasons  for  political  dissent. 

I.  The  compact  by  which  the  political  society  is  bound  fails 
to  acknowledge  the  relations  of  the  nation  to  God.  That  the 
nation,  as  such,  has  relations  to  God,  is  a  clear  truth  of 
philosophy  and  history  as  well  as  of  revelation.  The 
nation  is  not  an  agglomeration  of  component  parts, 
which,  like  those  of  a  cup  full  of  sand,  are  held  together 
in  mere  contact  by  external  pressure.  It  is  a  body,  the  parts 
of  which  cohere  by  the  internal  law  of  its  own  life.  It  is  an 
organism,  perpetuating  its  life  ftom  generation  to  genera- 
tion, amid  the  constant  flow  and  change  of  its  constituent 


Nature  and  Ground  of  Political  Dissent.     169 

elements.  Besides,  it  is  not  an  organism  in  the  physical 
world,  but  in  the  sphere  of  morals.  It  is  capable  of  hav- 
ing moral  aims,  and  of  being  influenced  by  moral  mo- 
tives. It  has  a  moral  accountability  distinct  from  that 
which  rests  upon  its  members  individually.  In  other  words, 
it  is  a  moral  organism,  or  a  moral  person,  under  moral  law, 
and  in  direct  relations  with  the  supreme  moral  Lawgiver, 
God  himself.  Business  corporations,  or  "  artificial  per- 
sons," as  Blackstone  calls  them,  have  no  such  relations 
to  God.  The  state  gives  them  existence  for  material 
and  purely  secular  ends,  and  God  holds  the  state  responsi- 
ble for  their  character  and  conduct.  But  as  his  Word 
proves,  by  its  promises  and  threatenings  addressed  directly 
to  nations,  as  history,  both  inspired  and  uninspired,  also 
proves,  by  the  record  of  the  fulfilment  of  those  prom- 
ises and  threatenings  in  the  actual  experience  of  the 
nations  of  the  earth,  God  deals  directly  with  nations  as 
moral  beings  in  immediate  relations  with  himself. 

If  it  be  urged  that  the  moral  law,  under  which  the 
nation,  as  a  moral  being,  is  held  bound,  is  the  law  of 
nature,  God's  law  written  on  the  heart  of  man,  this 
will  be  readily  conceded  as  correct,  so  far.  But  the 
law  given  in  the  Bible  \s  a  revelation  of  the  same  divine 
will  revealed  in  nature.  And  if  the  law  of  nature,  as 
the  will  of  God,  has  any  binding  force  on  nations,  it 
binds  them  to  obedience  to  every  further  revelation  of 
the  will  of  the  same  Lawgiver  in  regard  to  themselves. 
The  law  of  the  Bible,  as  a  further  and  fuller  revelation 
of  the  same  divirie  will,  asserts  its  claims  over  nations 
most  explicitly  and  fully.  It  deals  very  largely  with 
nations  as  such.     Passages  akin  to  the   2d  Psalm,  and 


170  Memorial  Volume. 

the  13th  chapter  of  Romans,  are  too  numerous  to  be 
quoted  or  even  specified.  Repeatedly  does  the  Bible 
ascribe  to  him  who  is  made  Head  over  all  things  such 
titles  as  "King  of  kings  and  Lord  of  lords,"  and  "Prince 
of  the  kings  of  the  earth." 

The  relations  of  the  nation  to  God  and  his  moral  laws 
are  thus  seen  to  be  clear  and  definite,  (i.)  It  is  the  crea- 
ture of  God.  (2.)  It  is  clothed  with  authority  derived 
from  him.  (3.)  It  is  under  the  rule  of  Jesus  Christ. 
(4.)  It  is  subject  to  the  Bible,  the  special  revelation  of 
moral  law.  In  constituting  and  administering  its  gov- 
ernment, the  nation  is  bound  to  act  upon  the  principles 
involved  in  these  relations.  It  is  under  obligation  to 
acknowledge  God  as  the  author  of  its  existence  and  the 
source  of  its  authority,  Jesus  Christ  as  its  ruler,  and  the 
Bible  as  the  supreme  law  of  its  conduct.  Such  an  ac- 
knowledgment has  its  appropriate  place  in  the  fundamental 
law  of  the  nation,  the  written  constitution  or  compact  of 
the  political  society,  on  which  the  government  rests,  and 
according  to  which  it  is  to  be  administered.  It  is  not  re- 
quired in  every  ordinary  enactment.  An  acknowledg- 
ment in  the  national  constitution  carries  with  it  a  virtual 
acknowledgment  in  every  law  enacted  under  it  and  in 
accordance  with  it. 

There  is  an  important  difference  between  fundamental 
or  constitutional  law  and  ordinary  enactments.  The 
former  determines  the  structure  of  the  government.  The 
latter  meet,  at  the  time,  the  incidental  wants  and  varying 
exigencies  of  the  nation.  Fundamental  laws  settle  the 
policy  of  thegovernment  and  the  principles  of  its  operation. 
When  a  ship  sets  sail  she   has  fundamental  rules  laid 


Nature  and  Ground  of  Political  Dissent.     171 

down  for  her  direction  in  all  circumstances  of  wind  and 
weather.  The  end  and  object  of  the  voyage,  and  gen- 
eral rules  for  the  safety  of  the  passengers  and  freight,  are 
all  specified  and  settled  when  she  starts,  and  are  applica- 
ble in  every  condition  of  the  ship.  So  the  ship  of  state 
must  have  her  fundamental  laws."^  And  what  more 
important  fundamental  regulation  can  the  state  lay  down 
for  its  guidance  in  peace  and  war,  in  prosperity  and  ad- 
versity, than  an  acknowledgment  of  its  relations  to 
Almighty  God,  and  of  its  subjection  to  the  Bible,  as 
the  fountain  of  its  laws  and  the  rule  of  its  conduct  ? 
Failing  to  do  this,  the  ship  of  state  sets  sail  without  com- 
pass,  and  without  the  guiding  pole-star,  on  her  perilous 
voyage.  She  has  no  anchor  that  can  hold  her  fast  amid 
the  tumults  of  the  people,  when  ''  the  mountains  are  car- 
ried into  the  midst  of  the  sea,  and  the  waters  thereof 
roar  and  are  troubled." 

The  written  constitution  of  the  United  States  con- 
tains no  such  proper  and  adequate  acknowledgment  as 
the  nation  is  bound  to  make  of  its  relations  to  God.  Up 
to  the  time  of  its  adoption,  the  States  in  their  constitu- 
tions did  acknowledge  God  and  Christianity.  Some  of 
the  State  constitutions  yet  contain  similar  acknowledg- 
ment. And  in  the  actual  administration  of  the  national 
government  the  principle  is  admitted.  But  the  national 
constitution  contains  no  acknowledgment  of  God.  The 
convention  that  framed  it  manifestly  designed  that  all 
such  acknowledgment  should  be  omitted.   G jod  men,  and 

*  See  this  distinction  between  fundamental  laws  and  ordinary  enactment, 
admirably  stated,  and  illustrated  by  the  figure  of  a  ship  in  Judge  Jameson's 
Constitutional  Convention,  pp    83,  84. 


172  Memorial  Volume. 

Christian  men,  as  many  of  the  members  of  the  conven- 
tion were,  they  made  the  deplorable  mistake  of  yielding 
to  others  who  were  unwilling  to  express,  nationally,  any 
acknowledgment  of  the  Al-mighty.  The  spirit  that 
ruled  in  the  framing  of  the  constitution  showed  itself  un- 
mistakably in  the  deliberate  refusal  of  the  convention, 
after  the  full  and  urgent  presentation  of  the  matter,  to 
ask  God  for  guidance  in  prayer  every  morning  before 
proceeding  to  business.*      With   such  an   omission  of 

*  The  statement  has  been  repeatedly  made  that  Franklin's  mot'on  was 
carried,  and  that  prayers  were  thenceforth  offered.  Such  writers  as  Morris, 
in  his  "  Christian  Life  and  Character  of  the  Civil  Institutions  of  tha 
United  States,"  and  Lossing  and  Goodrich,  in  their  popular  histories,  make 
this  statement.  How  such  a  statement  came  to  be  made  at  first,  it  is  diffi- 
cult fully  to  explain.  Its  repetition,  when  once  sent  forth,  is  not  surprising. 
The  following  considerations  may  help  to  account  for  the  assertion : 

I.  The  public  felt  that  prayers  should  have  been  offered,  and  could  hardly 
fbe  made  to  believe  that  a  motion  like  Franklin's  could  fail  to  pass.  2. 
Prayers  were  offered  in  the  same  hall  at  a  former  convention,  when 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  framed.  This  might  naturally  lead 
to  confusion  and  misstatement.  But  the  fallowing  facts  are  decisive 
proof,  unpleasant  as  it  is  to  be  compelled  to  acknowledge  it,  that  prayers 
were  never  offered  in  the  convention  that  framed  the  constitution,  i.  For 
nearly  five  weeks  the  convention  sat  and  never  thijnp;ht  nf  lonk^pg  to  God 
in  prayer._  (See  Franklin's  speech  in  support  of  his  motion.)  2.  Franklin's 
motion  for  prayers,  made  in  the  fifth  week,  was  opposed.  A  substitute  was 
offered  by  Mr.  Randolph,  proposing  that  a  sermon  be  preached  on  July  4th, 
about  a  week  after,  at  the  request  of  the  convention,  and  thenceforward 
prayers  be  offered.  Franklin  seconded  this  substitute.  The  record  of  the 
convention,  given  in  the  Madison  papers,  says  :  "After  several  unsuccess- 
ful attempts  for  silently  postponing  this  matter  by  adjournment,  the  adjourn- 
ment was  at  length  carried  without  any  vote  on  the  motion."  (Elliott's 
Deba'es,  vol.  v,  pp.  254,  255.)  3.  Franklin's  own  statement  in  a  note 
appended  to  his  speech  is  explicit.  "  The  convention,  except  three  or  four 
members,  thought  prayers  unnecessary."  (Sparks'  Works  of  Franklin, 
vol.  v,  p.  155.)  No  unauthenticated  statement,  though  drawn  up  with 
minute  particulars,  and  indefinitely  repeated,  can  have  any  weight  beside 
such  fully  authenticated  facts. 


Nature  and  Ground  of  Political  Dissent.     173 

duty — nay,  worse,  such  a  deliberate  decision  not  to  seek 
God's  direction — on  the  part  of  the  convention  that 
framed  the  constitution,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at 
that  the  instrument  itself  does  not  acknowledge  God, 
and  fails  to  place  the  government  in  its  fundamental  com- 
pact in  its  true  relations  to  him. 

When  urging  his  motion  for  prayers,  Franklin  said,  in 
words  of  eloquent  reproach  :  "  In  the  beginning  of  the 
contest  with  Britain,  when  we  were  sensible  of  danger,  we 
had  daily  prayers  in  this  room  for  the  divine  protection. 
Our  prayers,  sir,  were  heard  ;  and  they  were  graciously 
answered.  All  of  us,  who  were  engaged  in  the  struggle, 
must  have  observed  frequent  instances  of  a  superintend- 
ing Providence  in  our  favor.  To  that  kind  Providence 
we  owe  this  happy  opportunity  of  consulting  in  peace  on 
the  means  of  establishing  our  future  national  felicity. 
And  have  we  now  forgotten  that  powerful  Friend  ?  Or 
do  we  imagine  we  no  longer  need  his  assistance  ?"  The 
practical  answer  to  these  questions  by  the  convention, 
in  refusing  to  have  prayers,  and  in  omitting  an  acknowl- 
edgment of  God  from  the  constitution,  was:  "We 
have  forgotten  him  ;  we  no  longer  need  his  assistance  ; 
we  shall  establish  our  future  national  felicity  without 
looking  to  him."  Franklin  went  on :  "I  have  lived, 
sir,  a  long  time  ;  and  the  longer  I  live,  the  more  con- 
vincing proofs  I  see  of  this  truth,  that  God  governs  in  the 
affairs  of  men.  And  if  a  sparrow  cannot  fall  to  the 
ground  without  his  notice,  is  it  probable  that  an  empire 
can  rise  without  his  aid  ?  We  have  been  assured,  sir, 
in  the  sacred  writings,  that  'except  the  Lord  build  the 
city,  they  labor  in  vain  that  build  it.'"     To  all  this,  the 

15 


174  Memorial  Volume. 

reply  of  the  convention,  by  its  action  in  refusing  to  ask 
God's  blessing  in  prayer,  and  to  acknowledge  him  in  the 
instrument  they  framed,  was:  ''We  will  build  an  em- 
pire without  his  aid."  God  grant  that  our  future  may 
not  fulfil  Franklin's  warning  words  :  "  Without  his  con- 
curring aid  we  shall  succeed  in  this  political  building  no 
better  than  the  builders  of  Babel ;  we  shall  become 
divided  by  our  little,  partial,  local  interests  \  our  projects 
will  be  confounded,  and  we  ourselves  shall  become  a  re- 
proach and  a  by -word  down  to  future  ages."  We  may 
not,  we  must  not,  strike  hands  in  a  political  compact 
which  knows  no  dependence  on  God,  no  subjection  to 
him,  and  which  thus  most  gravely  threatens  our  national 
future.  We  cannot  solemnly  agree  to  govern  ourselves 
and  our  fellow-citizens  on  the  basis  of  such  a  political 
covenant. 

2.  The  political  compact  of  the  government  contains  express 
and  positive  provisions  in  violation  of  the  divine  law  for  na- 
tions. It  is  admitted  th'at  the  provisions  of  the  constitu- 
tion are,  in  the  main,  most  excellent.  Let  no  one  with- 
hold from  it  the  admiration  which  it  richly  deserves. 
But  it  would  be  as  unwise  to  let  its  merits  blind  us  to  its 
defects,  as  to  let  its  defects  prejudice  us  against  its  merits. 
Framed  by  a  convention  which,  as  a  convention,  refused 
to  apply  to  the  Father  of  lights  to  illuminate  their  under- 
standings, it  could  hardly  be  expected  to  be  free  from 
essential  defects.  Failing  to  acknowledge  God  and  seek 
his  guidance,  the  convention  did  grope  in  the  dark,  and  fell 
into  some  of  the  gravest  of  errors.  One  of  these  errors, 
in  regard  to  the  rights  of  man,  the  nation  has  been  led  to 
acknowledge  and  correct  by  proper  amendment.     Two 


Nature  and  Ground  of  Political  Dissent,     175 

positive  provisions  remain  to  be  corrected:  (i.)  The 
provision  as  to  the  form  of  the  presidential  oath  ;  and  (2.) 
That  which  prohibits  the  requiring  of  any  religious  quali- 
fication for  office. 

In  regard  to  these  points,  the  law  of  the  Scriptures, 
under  which  nations  are  held  bound,  is  clear.  As  to  the 
first,  it  specifically  requires  all  who  administer  oaths,  as 
well  as  all  to  whom  they  are  administered,  to  perform 
this  solemn  act  of  worship  in  the  name  of  God  :  "  Thou 
shalt  fear  the  Lord  thy  God,  and  shalt  swear  by  his 
name."  In  direct  violation  of  this  command,  the  na- 
tional compact  provides  a  form  of  oath  from  which  the 
name  of  God  was  intentionally  and  deliberately  excluded. 
As  to  the  second  point,  intimately  connected  with  the 
first,  the  divinely  approved  direction  contained  in  the 
Scriptures  is  :  '•  Provide  out  of  all  the  people  able  men, 
such  as  fear  God,  men  of  truth,  hating  covetousness  ; 
and  place  such  over  them  to  be  rulers."  The  opposing 
language  of  the  political  compact  is :  ''  No  religious  test 
shall  ever  be  required  as  a  qualification  to  any  office  or 
public  trust  under  the  United  States."  The  intention  of 
the  convention  cannot  be  misunderstood.  They  de- 
signed so  to  frame  the  compact  of  government  that  no 
irreligious  man  would  be  ineligible  to  office — that  even 
an  avowed  and  practical  infidel  or  atheist  might  have 
no  obstacle  in  the  way  of  reaching  the  highest  position 
in  the  land.  For  this  very  purpose  the  common  form 
of  oath  in  use  was  changed,  and  God's  name  omitted. 
Luther  Martin,  a  member  of  the  convention  from 
Maryland,  in  a  letter  to  the  legislature  of  his  State, 
says  :    "  The  part  of   the  system   which  provides  that 


J 7^  Memorial  Volume. 

no  religious  test  shall  ever  be  required  as  a  qualification 
to  any  office  or  public  trust  under  the  United  States, 
was  adopted  by  a  great  majority  of  the  convention,  and 
without  much  debate ;  however,  there  were  some  of 
the  members  so  unfashionable  as  to  think  that  a  belief  of 
the  existence  of  the  Deity,  and  of  a  state  of  future  re- 
wards and  punishments,  would  be  some  security  for  the 
good  conduct  of  our  rulers,  and  that  in  a  Christian  coun- 
try It  would  be  at  least  decent  to  hold  out  some  distinction 
between  the  professors  of  Christianity  and  downright  infi- 
delity and  paganism."*  So  the  treaty  with  Tripoli, 
carrying  out  the  idea  of  the  constitution,  signed  by 
the  president  and  senate  about  eight  years  after  the  con- 
stitution was  adopted,  and  never  called  in  question  as  to 
its  constitutionality,  declares  :  "  The  government  of  the 
United  States  is  not  in  any  sense  founded  on  the  Christian 
religion  ;  it  has  in  Itself  no  character  of  enmity  against 
the  laws,  religion,  or  tranquillity  of  Mussulmans. "f  And 
Justice  Story,  in  his  Commentaries  on  the  Constitu- 
tion, describes  that  instrument  as  a  compact  according 
to  which  the  Christian,  Jew,  Mohammedan  and  infidel, 
all  sit  down  in  common  at  the  table  of  the  national  coun- 
cils, without  any  regard  to  their  religious  belief.| 

In  some  of  the  State  conventions  which  ratified  the 
national  constitution,  it  was  acknowledged  that  none  but 
God-fearing  or  religious  men  should  hold  official  trusts. 
In  the  North  Carolina  convention,  Mr.  Iredell  said  :  "It 
is  never  to  be  supposed  that  the  people  of  America  will 

*  Elliott's  Debates,  vol.  v,  pp.  385,  386. 

f  8  U.  S.  Statutes  at  Large,  p.  154. 

;};  Commentaries  on  the  Constitution,  ^1879. 


Nature  and  Ground  of  Political  Dissent.     177 

trust  their  dearest  interests   with   persons  of  no  religion, 
or  of  a  religion    materially  different  from  their   own."* 
Theophikis  Parsons,    afterwards    chief  justice,  said,  in 
the  Massachusetts  convention:  ''It  has   been  objected 
that  the  constitution  provides  no  religious  test,  and  that 
we  may  have  in   power  unprincipled  men,  deists  and  pa- 
gans.     No  man  can  wish  more  ardently  than  I   do,  that 
all  our  public  offices  may  be  filled  by  men  who  fear  God 
and   hate  wickedness  ;  but  it  must  remain  with  the  elec- 
tors to   give   the   government    this    security. "f     But    if 
the  electors  are  to  give  the  government  this  security, 
they  must  do  it  in  the  covenant  by  which  they  agree  to 
govern  themselves  and  the  nation.     In  the  same  conven- 
tion the  Rev.  Mr.  Shute  said  :     "  The  presumption  is, 
that  the  eyes  of  the  people  will  be  upon  the  faithful  of 
the  land. "J     But  it   mjght   have  been  known  then,  as 
experience  has  since  proved,  that  there  will  always  be  a 
large  class  whose  eyes  are  not  upon  the  religious  and  the 
God-fearing,  but  upon  the  wicked  and  corrupt.      And  no 
action  of  the  great  body  of  electors  can  give  the  govern- 
ment security  against  the  election  of  such  corrupt  and 
irreligious  men  to  office,  except  an  express  agreement  in 
the  compact  of  the  political  society.      What  that  able 
journal,  the  New  York  Nation^  has  said  of  appointments, 
is  equally  true  of  elections  to  office  :    ''  Some  presidents 
will  appoint  good  men,  others  will   not ;  and   some  will 
try  to  appoint  them,  and  give  it  up  as  too  troublesome. 
It  is  the  system  which  is  rotten,  and  it  is  the  system  which 

*  Elliott's  Debates,  vol.  iv,  p.  194, 
J  Ibid  ,  vol.  ii,  p.  90. 
+  Ibid.,  vol.  ii,  p.  119. 
15* 


178  Memorial  Volume. 

must  be  reformed.  The  desire  of  the  nation  for  honest 
servants  must  be  expressed  in  laws." 

Irreligious  and  godless  rulers  are  a  curse  to  any  nation. 
"The  wicked  walk  on  every  side,  when  the  vilest  men 
are  exalted."  In  intrusting  power  to  the  nation,  God  re- 
quires the  nation  to  intrust  it  in  turn  to  such  men  as  fear 
him  and  hate  covetousness.  The  nation  must  make  sure 
that  it  shall  be  so  intrusted.  The  governing  body  must 
agree  in  their  compact,  that  the  qualifications  laid  down 
for  rulers  in  God's  law  shall  be  required.  They  have  no 
right  to  require  any  ecclesiastical  test.  They  have  no 
warrant  for  making  the  ordinances  of  the  church  the 
badge  of  fitness  for  civil  rule  But  they  are  under  im- 
perative obligation  to  require  that  "  he  that  ruleth  over 
men  must  be  just,  ruling  in  the  fear  of  God."  If  to  in- 
sist upon  a  good  moral  character  and  a  God-fearing  walk 
and  conversation  is  to  encourage  hypocrisy,  as  it  is  some- 
times objected,  it  may  be  replied  that  the  world  can 
afford  to  have  such  "  hypocrisy  "  encouraged.  All  good 
laws  encourage  such  "  hypocrisy."  If  it  fail  to  insist 
upon  such  religious  qualifications  in  its  rulers,  the  nation 
violates  the  express  requirement  of  God's  law,  makes 
itself  partaker  in  the  wickedness  of  its  corrupt  and  irre- 
ligious rulers,  and  calls  down  upon  Itself  such  judgments 
as  have  overtaken,  not  the  tyrannical  Emperor  who  lives 
in  affluence  and  ease,  but  the  responsible  nation  of  hum- 
bled, bleeding,  unhappy  France. 

While,  then,  the  political  compact  of  our  government 
violates  in  its  essential  provisions  the  clear  and  explicit 
requirements  of  the  divine  law.  we  cannot  identify  our- 
selves with  the  governing  body  that  is  most  solemnly 
bound  by  this  unscriptural  covenant. 


Nature  and  Ground  of  Political  Dissent.     179 

3.    //  is  impossible  to  avoid  responsibility  for  such  a  morally 
defective  constitution  and  its  legitimate  consequences  in  any 
other  way  than   by  political  dissent.      It  is   due  to  many  of 
the  members  of  the  convention  that  framed  the  constitu- 
tion, to  admit   that  they  did  not   intend   that  the  govern- 
ment  should   be  actually  administered   on   the   principle 
that   all   religions,  the  true  and  all  opposed  to  it,  should 
be  viewed  nationally  on  a  level.  They  did  not  fully  com- 
prehend  the   nature   and    consequences    of   their  act  in 
omitting   all  acknowledgment    of  God  and  Christianity, 
and  prohibiting  the  requirement  of  any  religious  qualifi- 
cation for  official  position.     It   is  no  doubt  true  that,  as 
Justice  Story  says,     ''at    the   time    of    the   adoption  of 
the  constitution,  the  general,   if  not  the   universal  sen- 
timent in  America  was  that  Christianity  ought  to  receive 
encouragement  from  the   state,  so  far  as   was  not  incom- 
patible with  the  private  rights  of  conscience  and  freedom 
of  worship.      An  attempt  to  level  all  religions,  and  make 
it  a  matter  of  state  policy  to  hold  all  in  utter  indifference, 
would  have  created  universal   disapprobation,  if  not  uni- 
versal indignation."*      It  must   also   be  admitted  that  in 
the  actual  administration  of  the  government   of  this  na- 
tion a  preference  always  has  been  shown,   and  is  still   in 
great  measure  shown,  to  the  Christian  religion.    Indeed, 
it  has  been   maintained  in  judicial   decisions  that,  in  the 
words  of  Chancellor  Kent,  ''Christianity,  in  its  enlarged 
sense,  as  a  religion  taught    and  revealed  in   the  Bible,    is 
part  and  parcel  of  the  law  of  the  land."t     And  much  of 
the  actual  administration  of  affairs   has  been  carried  for- 
ward on  this  principle. 

*  Commentaries  on  the  Constitution,   \  1868. 

f   Case  of  People  vs.  Ruggles,  8    Johnson's   Reports,  p.    290. 


i8o  Memorial  Volume. 

But  that  by  which  the  members  of  the  political  society 
are  solemnly  bound  to  govern  the  nation  is  not  the  com- 
mon custom  of  any  portion  of  the  people,  nor  even  the 
unauthenticated  public  sentiment  of  the  nation.   It  is  the 
written  compact  itself.    And  this  agreement,  as  we  have 
seen,  does,   according  to  its   best  interpreters,  put  all  re- 
ligions on  a  level.      Every  year  this  interpretation  of  the 
written   constitution    is  being  more  distinctly  brought  to 
bear    upon    such     features    of    the    actual    administra- 
tion of  the  government  as  are  inconsistent    with  it.      In 
opposition  to  Chancellor  Kent's  decision,  already  quoted, 
we   have   the  following  declaration  :  ''  According  to  the 
best  considered  authorities,  the  Christian  religion  is  not  a 
part  of  the  common  law  of  this  country."*        Many  de- 
cisions might  be  quoted  like  the  following,  of  the  supe- 
rior court  of  New  York  :   "The  principles  of  our  gov- 
ernment and  the  provisions  of  our   constitution  are   de- 
signed to  secure  equality  between  different  religions,  and 
different  forms  and  sects  of  religion. "f     The  determined 
attempts  of  infidels   and  atheists,   and    others  combining 
with    them,   to    exclude    the   Bible    from    the    common 
schools,  abolish  the   administration  of  the   oath   by  civil 
authorities,  expel  chaplains  from  halls  of  legislation,  and, 
in  a  word,  break  down  all  the  existing  Christian  features 
of  the  national  life,  proceed  on  the  ground  that  these  cus- 
toms and  Ubages  are  inconsistent   with  the  written   com- 
pact by  which    the   nation   agrees  to  govern   Itself,  and 
which  is  the  summary  of  all  the  powers  the  government 
may  ever  legally  exercise. 

*  Comstock's  edition  of  Kent's  Commentaries,  vol.  i,  p.  633,  Note, 
f  4  Sand  ford's  Reports,  p.  182. 


Nature  and  Ground  of  Political  Dissent.     i8i 

Now  who  are  responsible  for  this  instrument,  with  its 
failure  to  acknowledge  God  and  Christianity,  and  its  con- 
sequent powerful  influence  against  all  that  is  distinctively 
Christian  in  the  nation  ?  The  nation,  itself,  as  a  unit,  is 
undoubtedly  responsible.  But  every  member  of  the  na- 
tion who  acquiesces  in  such  a  compact  has  his  indi- 
vidual share  of  the  responsibility.  The  convention  that 
framed  our  morally  defective  constitution  were  first  to 
blame.  But  the  members  of  the  political  society  that 
received  it  with  its  defects  from  the  hands  of  the  con- 
vention,  and  ratified  it,  by  their  act  became  responsible 
for  it.  This  society  continues  its  identity  from  genera- 
tion to  generation  ;  and  those  who  are  members  of  it 
to-day,  stand  in  precisely  the  same  relation  to  the 
compact  as  those  who  first  framed  it  or  ratified  it.  They 
are  just  as  responsible  for  its  character  as  if  they  had  yes- 
terday actually  adopted  it  for  themselves. 

Some  may  say  that  they  are  bound,  not  by  the  written 
compact,  but  by  the  unwritten  or  vital  constitution  of 
the  nation,  which  the  written  document  ought,  but  fails, 
to  represent.  Doubtless  the  unwritten  constitution  ot 
our  nation,  embracing  our  customs,  social  and  edu- 
cational institutions,  civilization  generally,  and  much  of 
the  actual  administration  of  the  government,  is  distinctive- 
ly Christian,  and  ought  to  be  translated  into  legal  language 
and  authenticated  in  the  written  constitution.  But  what- 
ever the  character  of  the  unwritten  constitution  may  be, 
the  written  compact  of  government  binds  every  member 
of  the  political  society,  anything  in  customs  or  usages  to 
the  contrary  notwithstanding.  On  this  point  Judge 
Jameson,  in  his  thorough  treatment  of  the  relation  of  the 


iSi  Memorial  Volume. 

written  to  the  unwritten  constitution  of  a  nation,  re- 
marks as  follows  :  "  A  very  important  question  may- 
arise :  admitting  the  possibility  of  discrepancies  between 
the  constitution  of  a  state  as  a  fact  [the  unwritten  con- 
stitution], and  its  constitution  as  an  instrument  of  evi- 
dence [the  written  constitution],  which  has  the  superior 
validity  ?  In  answering  this  question  it  would  be  easy, 
and  to  some  minds  the  temptation  would  be  strong,  to 
propound  doctrines  subversive  of  all  regulated  liberty. 
The  reply  seems  reasonable  that  the  constitution 
as  an  objective  fact,  the  constitution  as  it  ought 
to  be  written  out,  to  harmonize  with  the  results  of 
existing  social  forces,  ought  to  prevail,  rather  than  any 
empirical  transcript  of  it  made  by  fallible  men,  and  there- 
fore inadequate  at  the  start  or  become  so  by  the  progress 
of  society.  But  such  a  doctrine  would  be  anarchical — 
one  according  to  which  no  government  of  laws  could 
long  exist.  The  constitution  as  it  has  been  declared  to 
be,  with  its  compacts  as  well  as  its  bare  transcriptions, 
must  be  the  sole  guide  to  all  matters  and  persons  within 
its  proper  cognizance."* 

Thus  the  written  constitution,  failing,  as  it  does,  to  ac- 
knowledge the  nation's  relations  to  God  and  his  laws,  and 
degrading  Christianity  to  the  level  of  false  religions,  is 
the  sole  guide  for  members  of  the  political  society  in 
governing  the  nation.  It  may  contain  provision  for  its 
own  amendment.  But  if  It  should  never  be  amended, 
the  members  of  the  governing  body  take  it  as  it  stands,  and 
bind  themselves  by  it  as  it  is,  and  thus  become  responsi- 
ble for  its  morally  defective  character,   and  its  mischiev- 

■'^Constitutlonal  Convention,  pp.  72,  73. 


Nature  and  Ground  of  Political  Dissent.     183 

ous  inftuence  upon  all  the  best  and  dearest  features  of 
our  national  life.  The  only  way  to  avoid  this  responsi- 
bility is  by  occupying  a  position  of  political  dissent. 

4.  The  position  of  political  dissent  is  the  most  effective  one 
for  the  reformation  of  the  nation.  We  might  rest  the  case 
here,  without  any  further  discussion.  The  reasons  al- 
ready dwelt  upon  are  sufficient  in  themselves.  They 
necessarily  involve  the  additional  reason  now  given.  The 
course  of  moral  rectitude  is  the  only  sure  pathway  to 
true  success.  For  a  man  to  refuse  to  bind  himself  by 
an  immoral  compact  is  to  pursue  the  course  of  rectitude. 
When  the  members  of  a  political  society  bind  themselves 
by  a  covenant  which  fails  to  acknowledge  the  nation's 
relations  to  God  and  his  law,  and  which  violates  the  ex- 
press requirements  of  that  law,  they  must  plainly  do 
what  is  a  moral  evil.  And  we  are  strictly  forbidden  to 
say,  or,  whatever  the  supposable  good  of  such  a  course 
may  be,  to  act  upon  the  saying  :  "  Let  us  do  evil  that 
good  may  come."  If  we  do  thus  act,  our  condemnation 
is  just. 

There  is  oftentimes  a  strong  temptation  to  deviate 
from  the  path  of  strict  rectitude,  arising  from  the  pros- 
pect of  some  immediate  and  tangible  benefit.  In  no 
case,  perhaps,  does  the  promised  good  appear  more  tan- 
gible than  in  the  election  at  the  present  time  in  our 
land  of  a  good  man  to  office,  in  preference  to  a  notoriously 
wicked  and  corrupt  politician.  But  it  is  a  very  short- 
sighted view  of  the  momentous  aff*airs  of  a  nation,  which 
fails  to  comprehend  the  truth  that  the  position  of  com- 
plete separation  from  what  is  wrong,  though  attended 
with  an  apparent  temoorary  increase  of  evil,  is  and  must 


184  Memorial  Volume. 

be,  in  the  eind,  the  most  effective  position  for  the  thor- 
ough suppression  of  the  wrong,  and  the  sure  advance- 
ment of  the  right  and  truth.  Communities,  cursed  with 
bad  rulers  and  threatened  with  worse,  may  strain  every 
nerve  to  have  the  electors  give  the  government,  for  once, 
the  blessing  of  honest  and  God-fearing  officials.  They 
may  succeed.  And  with  such  verv  imperfect  success  the 
excitement  lulls,  and  the  way  remains  open  for  bad  men 
once  m.ore  to  work  their  way  to  office,  and  again  to 
plunder  the  public  treasury,  and  grind  the  faces  of  the  poor. 
A  failure  to  throw  off"  the  thieves  and  plunderers  at  first 
would  be  a  cheap  price  to  pay  for  the  lesson,  if  by  it  the 
nation  or  community  would  only  be  taught  to  go  to  the 
very  root  of  the  evil,  and  enact  their  desire  for  good  rulers, 
in  accordance  with  the  divine  command,  into  the  nation's 
law. 

We  can  afford,  then,  to  have  fellow  Christians,  or  fel- 
low citizens,  or  both,  who  do  not  or  will  not  understand 
our  position,  say  to  us  :  "  Why  all  this  talk  about  the 
necessity  of  reform,  if  you  will  not  act  ?  You  are  doing 
nothing.  Put  your  shoulder  to  the  wheel.  Vote  for 
men  in  favor  of  the  reforms  you  seek,"  We  are 
doing  what  it  is  most  difficult  to  do.  It  is  easy  to  fol- 
low the  multitude.  It  requires  no  effT)rt  to  fall  in  with 
the  current,  and  go  swimming  down  the  stream  amid  the 
acclamations  of  accompanying  millions.  But  to  stem  the 
popular  tide,  and  to  give  warning  to  the  ship  of  state,  of 
perilous  rocks  and  shoals  ahead — this  is  the  real  work 
which  but  ^QVJ  are  found  ready  to  do.  "  Hie  lahor^  hoc 
opus  est." 


Nature  and  Ground  of  Political  Dissent.     185 

Moral  truth  is  the  great  instrumentality,  the  mighty 
power  in  God's  hands,  and  in  the  hands  of  all  who  are 
co-workers  with  him,  in  overthrowing  moral  evils.  The 
effective  worker  with  God  is  the  man  who  makes  the 
truth  to  be  known  and  felt.  The  opponents  of  Ameri- 
can slavery  never  caused  the  truth  they  held  to  make  a 
deep  impression  upon  the  national  conscience,  until  they 
dissented  from  the  constitution  which  protected  the 
wrong.  Their  dissent,  and  the  energetic  efforts  logi- 
cally connected  with  it,  held  up  the  abomination  of 
slavery  to  the  gaze  of  the  nation  and  the  civilized  world, 
and  more  than  anything  else  prepared  the  way  for  its 
complete  extinction. 

So  the  position  we  now  occupy  holds  up  the  nation's 
morally  defective  compact  of  government  to  distinct  view. 
To  abandon  the  position  would  be  to  paralyze  our  arms, 
and  take  the  bone  and  sinew,  if  not  the  very  life,  out  of 
the  movement  for  securing  the  acknowledgment  of  God  in 
our  national  constitution,  and  sink  the  truth  we  hold  in 
obscurity.  To  maintain  our  position  of  political  dissent 
is  to  press  the  nation's  sin  in  failing  to  acknowledge  its  re- 
lations to  God  and  his  law,  and  the  need  of  a  constitu- 
tional amendment,  upon  the  notice  of  thoughtful  men, 
and  thus  secure,  in  the  end,  a  fundamental  and  thorough 
reformation. 

Fathers  and  Brethren,  let  me  add,  as  we  close,  that  it 
becomes  us,  who  yesterday  held  up  our  hands  to  God  in 
solemn  oath  to  maintain  our  position  of  political  dissent 
until  the  blessed  reformation  sought  is  accomplished,  to 

lb 


i86  Memorial   Volume. 

remember  that  our  duty  requires  true  faith  for  its  right 
performance.  It  was  "  by  faith  "  Moses  was  enabled  to 
discharge  his  duty.  "  By  faith  "  we  must  be  ourselves 
united  with  Christ  and  consecrated  to  him,  if  we  are  suc- 
cessfully to  call  upon  the  nation  to  subject  itself  to  him 
as  its  ruler.  Our  utterances  will  but  provoke  contempt, 
and  be  themselves  but  mockery,  unless  our  life  attests 
the  sincerity  of  our  professed  desire  for  the  advancement 
of  the  honor  of  the  King  of  kings. 

Nor  should  we  forget  that  the  truth  which  we  hold  is 
a  heritage.  It  has  been  handed  down  to  us  by  fathers 
who  suffered  and  died  for  it.  They  were  removed  from 
the  field  of  labor  before  their  work  was  appreciated. 
They  bore  the  brunt  of  the  conflict,  and  won,  at  the  cost 
of  their  lives,  the  vantage  ground  on  which  we  stand. 
With  our  inheritance  of  the  great  truth  of  Messiah's 
headship  over  the  nations,  there  Is  laid  upon  us  a  special 
responsibility.  Other  work  that  wc  have  to  do  Is  the 
same  as  that  given  to  sister  churches.  But  Americans 
as  we  are,  native-born  as  most  of  us  may  be,  by  the  very 
line  of  our  descent  from  our  worthy  religious  ancestors, 
there  is  Intrusted  to  us  the  banner  of  "  Christ's  Crown 
and  Covenant."  Do  what  else  we  may,  we  fail  utterly 
In  our  duty  unless,  In  some  degree,  we  prove  ourselves 
worthy  descendants  of  the  faithful  of  old,  by  Imitating 
their  example,  and  keeping  our  banner  aloft,  its  folds  all 
shaken  out  to  the  breeze,  and  its  full  motto,  cleir  and 
distinct,  before  the  eyes  of  the  nation  : 

*'  Bear  aloft,  then,  Zion's  standard. 

Crimsoned  o'er  with  martyr's  blood. 
It  hath  waved  through  lapse  of  ages, 
Undcstroyed  by  fir?  or  flocd. 


Nature  and  Ground  of  Political  Dissent.     187 

On  the  field  of  bloody  conflict 

It  hath  waved  amid  the  strife  j 
And  our  fathers,  to  preserve  it, 

Perilled  fortune,  home  and  life.'' 

Finally,  let  us  have  "  respect  unto  the  recompense  of 
the  reward."  Says  an  eminent  writer:  "  If  there  be 
anything  which  may  justly  challenge  the  admiration  of 
all  mankind,  it  is  that  sublime  patriotism,  which,  looking 
beyond  its  own  times  and  its  own  fleeting  pursuits,  aims 
to  secure  the  permanent  happiness  of  posterity  by  laying 
the  broad  foundations  of  government  upon  immovable 
principles  of  justice.  He  who  founds  a  hospital,  a  col- 
lege, or  even  a  more  private  and  limited  charity,  is  justly 
esteemed  a  benefactor  of  the  human  race.  How  much 
more  do  they  deserve  our  reverence  and  praise,  whose 
lives  are  devoted  to  the  formation  of  institutions,  which, 
when  they  and  their  children  are  mingled  in  the  common 
dust,  may  continue  to  cherish  the  principles  and  the  prac- 
tice of  liberty  in  perpetual  freshness  and  vigor."*  This 
is  the  work  we  are  striving  to  accomplish.  With  God's 
glory  and  the  good  of  our  fellow-men  in  view  ;  "  with 
malice  toward  none  and  charity  to  all ;"  as  Christians  and 
patriots,  constrained  to  take  a  position  of  separation  from 
citizens  we  respect  and  love  ;  bound  most  sacredly  to 
spare  no  sacrifice  of  time,  money,  or  strength,  we  shall 
give  ourselves  to  the  great  work  of  disseminating  the 
truth  as  to  the  relation  of  government  to  religion,  until 
the  nation,  acknowledging  its  subjection  to  the  Messiah 
and  his  laws,  shall  say,  in  principle  and  practice,  in  the 
constitution  and  administration  of  its  government: 

■^  Story's  Commentaries  on  the  Constitution,  ^  506. 


i88  Memorial  Volume. 

"Come,  then,  and,  added  to  thy  many  crowns, 
Receive  yet  one,  thou  who  alone  art  worthy." 

Then,  when  under  the  reign  of  the  Prince  of  Peace, 
righteousness  shall  distil  as  the  dew,  and  the  effect  of 
righteousness  shall  be  quietness  and  assurance  forever, 
the  names  of  those  whose  lives  were  devoted  to  the  ac- 
complishment of  this  aim  shall  be  held  in  everlasting  re- 
membrance. Yes,  brethren,  the  church  and  the  men 
that  work  devotedly  in  this  cause,  shall  live  in  history. 
Here  is  a  field  for  the  noblest  endeavor.  Here  is  room 
for  the  highest  and  purest  ambition.  In  the  days  when 
the  kingdoms  of  this  world  shall  have  become  the  king- 
doms of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ,  history  will  be 
studied  and  written  as  it  never  was  before.  And  the 
brightest  names  upon  its  page  will  be,  not  those  of  war- 
riors and  kings,  or  men  of  science  and  great  scholars,  but 
those  of  the  moral  heroes  who  did  most  in  their  day  and 
place  to  usher  Christ's  kingdom  in.  [f^  in  our  individual 
obscurity,  we  can  hope  for  no  part  in  those  future  honors 
of  this  world,  we  can  still  have  "  respect  to  the  recom- 
pense of  the  reward  ;"  for  in  those  fields  beyond,  where 
light,  sown  for  the  righteous,  and  joy  for  the  upright  in 
heart,  come  to  their  ripened  harvest,  we  shall  all  reap,  if 
we  faint  not. 


1 89 


THE    POSITION    AND    DUTY    OF    COVE- 
NANTERS. 

BY  REV.  A.   M.   MILLIGAN. 

Psalm  56  :  12.      "Thy  vows  are  upon  me,  O  God." 

I  FEEL  all  the  difficulty  and  responsibility  of  undertak- 
ing to  lead  the  devotions  of  a  synod  of  elders  and  ministers 
in  the  closing  exercises  of  such  an  occasion  as  this  ;  and 
it   is   only  in   the  strength  of  promised  assistance  that  I 
would   undertake  it.      What   shall   be  a  fitting  close  to 
such  a  service  ?      Let  us  meditate  together  upon  the  po- 
sition in  which  we  stand  after  such  a  transaction  as  that 
in  which  we  have  been  engaged.      It  is  expressed  in  the 
language  of  my  text :  *'  Thy  vows  are  upon  me,  O  God." 
Let  us  consider  the  relations  in  which  we  stand,  the 
responsibilities,  duties  and  privileges  of  these  relations. 
I.  Asa  church  we  are  married  to  Christ. 
Isa.  54  :  5,  "  For  thy  Maker  is  thine  husband;  the  Lord 
of  Hosts  is  his  name."     Isa.  62:5,  "As  a   young  man 
marrieth  a   virgin,  so  shall  thy  sons  marry  thee  :  and  as 
the  bridegroom   rejoiceth    over   the   bride,  so  shall    thy 
God  rejoice  over  thee." 

There  is  no  earthly  relationship  so  near  as  that  of  the 
husband  and  the  wife.  Brothers  may  walk  together  for 
a  period  ;  but  at  length  their  tastes,  inclinations,  or  acci- 
dental circumstances,  drift  them  asunder.  They  follow 
different  pursuits,  enter  different  fields  of  labor,  and  form 
other  family  relations  that  lead  them  far  apart.  The 
father  and  the  son,  the  mother  and  her  babe,  may  for  a 


igo  Memorial  Volume. 

time  seem  but  parts  of  each  other  ;  but  eventually  the 
son  forsakes  father  and  mother  and  cleaves  to  his  wife, 
the  daughter  forgets  her  father's  house  and  her  own 
people  and  casts  in  her  lot  with  her  husband,  and  "  they 
twain  shall  be  one  fleeh."  Though  human  statutes  have 
in  some  instances  separated  the  interests  of  husband  and 
wife,  and  made  too  easy  the  separation  of  the  marriage  tie, 
yet  the  divine  rule  is  explicit :  "  What,  therefore,  God 
hath  joined  together,  let  not  man  put  asunder."  Only 
when  thus  united  do  they  constitute  the  perfect  human 
being.  It  is  this  unity  and  identity  of  interest  that  has 
made  this  relation  the  most  fitting  expression  of  the  rela- 
tion between  Christ  and  the  church  ;  ''  the  husband  is  the 
head  of  the  wife,  even  as  Christ  is  the  head  of  the  church." 
When  Adam  looked  upon  his  wife,  formed  of  his  rib 
and  clinging  to  his  side,  he  felt  that  she  was  part  of  him- 
self. So  Christ  and  his  church  are  one;  their  interests 
are  identical.  Her  children  are  his  children,  her  members 
are  his  members  ;  she  is  his  body,  "  the  fulness  of  him 
that  filleth  all  in  all."  She  shall  sit  with  him  upon 
his  throne  as  he  sits  with  his  P'ather  upon  his  throne. 
The  Son  of  God  bears  a  different  relation  to  his  Father 
from  that  which  any  other  son  bears  to  any  other  father, 
"land  my  Father  are  one,"  and  he  prays  for  his  church 
"that  they  all  may  be  one  ;  even  as  thou.  Father,  art  in 
me,  and  I  in  thee,  that  they  also  may  be  one  in  us." 

This  relation  is  constituted  not  in  the  act  of  loving, 
although  that  is  the  force  that  draws  them  together ;  not 
in  their  association,  although  that  is  the  result  of  it  ;  but 
in  the  act  of  covenanting,  the  marriage  —  the  divine 
institution  in  which  this  relation  is  represented  and  sealed. 


The  Position  and  Duty  of  Covenanters.      191 

The  importance  of  the  transaction  in  which  we  have 
been  engaged,  consists  not  so  much  in  the  circumstance 
that  we  have  come  together  and  pledged  ourselves  to 
God  and  one  another,  as  in  the  fact  that  this  pledge 
is  the  divine  institution  by  which  God  has  ordained  that 
he  would  signify  and  seal  to  us  the  union  and  identity  of 
Christ  with  his  church.  This  is  not  expressed  in  the 
union  of  members  with  the  church  in  baptism,  nor  in 
the  celebration  and  participation  of  the  Lord's  supper, 
any  more  than  birth  and  baptism  are  marriage.  The 
divine  institution  for  expressing  this  union  is  covenanting. 
In  this  the  church  as  a  body,  a  unit,  gives  herself  to 
Christ,  and  Christ  gives  himself  to  her.  The  terms  on 
which  the  contract  is  formed  are  of  his  prescription  ;  it 
is  her's  to  accept  them,  and  only  on  those  terms  can  it  be 
consummated.  "  Thy  Maker  is  thine  husband."  "  For 
he  is  thy  Lord  ;    worship  thou  him." 

The  privileges  of  this  relation  are  many  and  great. 
Honored  as  the  spouse  of  Christ,  she  bears  his  name.  His 
name  is  "  The  Lord  our  righteousness,"  and  "  this  is  the 
name  wherewith  she  shall  be  called.  The  Lord  our  right- 
eousness." Hitherto  she  has  enjoyed  occasional  visits 
interspersed  with  long  and  weary  withdrawals,  while  she 
was  left  to  search  and  inquire,  "  Saw  ye  him  whom  my 
soul  loveth  ?"  but  now  she  shall  be  brought  unto  the 
King  into  his  palace,  and  there  she  shall  abide.  Of  her 
he  will  say:  '■'This  is  my  rest  forever:  here  will  I  dwell; 
for  I  have  desired  it." 

The  presence  of  Christ  in  his  church  by  his  Spirit, 
animating,  comforting,  strengthening  and  rejoicing  her, 
will  be  the  direct  result.   He  will  be  present  in  her  courts, 


192  Memorial  Volume. 

guiding  her  counsels;  present  in  her  ordinances,  making 
them  the  power  of  God  unto  salvation  ;  present  with 
her  ministers,  clothing  them  with  health  and  salvation, 
endowing  them  with  gifts  and  graces,  and  causing  her 
saints  to  rejoice.  It  was  this  that  gave  effect  to  Peter's 
preaching  after  the  pentecostal  effusion.  This  made  Liv- 
ingstone's sermon  at  th'fe  Kirk  of  Shotts  melt  the  hearts 
of  the  multitude  and  draw  them  to  Christ.  This  gave 
Alexander  Henderson  that  success  at  St.  Andrew's  that 
brought  the  people  of  that  city  into  covenant  with  God. 
"  Thy  people  shall  be  willing  in  the  day  of  thy  power." 
This  gave  Scotland  her  Knox,  her  Gillespie,  her  Cargill 
and  her  Renwick.  It  was  this  that  prepared  her  heroes  to 
jeopard  their  lives  on  the  high  places  of  the  field,  and 
even  her  tender  maidens  to  dare  death  on  the  scaffold, 
and  in  the  fire  and  Rood.  And  now  to  the  church  that 
has  just  plighted  her  vows  to  her  head  and  husband, 
the  bridegroom  says,  "  Thou  hast  ravished  my  heart, 
my  sister,  my  spouse :  thou  ha-t  ravished  my  heart 
w.th  one  of  thine  eyes,  with  one  chain  of  thy  neck. 
How  fair  is  thy  love,  my  sister,  my  spouse  !  How  much 
better  is  thy  love  than  wine  !"  "The  king  is  held  in  the 
galleries." 

These  privileges  bring  with  them  corresponding  obli- 
gations and  duties.  The  honor  of  her  covenant  God  must 
be  her  care,  ever  jealous  of  his  prerogative  she  will  not 
give  his  glory  to  another.  Neither  mitred  bishop  nor 
crowned  monarch  may  usurp  that  headship,  which  be- 
longs to  her  only  Head  and  Lord.  As  she  shall  share 
his  honor,'so  she  will  bear  his  reproach.  Is  he  crucified, 
she  will  glory  in  his  cross.     Is  he  without  the  camp,  she 


The  Position'  and  Duty  of  Covenanters.     193 

win   go  forth  to   him  without   the  camp.     Is  he  in  the 
wilderness,  she  will  be  seen  in  the  wilderness  leaning  on 
his  arm.     She  can  be  party  to    no  compact  which  would 
rob  him  of  his  well-earned  honor,  nor  can  she  ever  con- 
sent that    he  should    be  dethroned.      It  is    hers  to   bring 
forth  the  man-child   that  shall  rule  the  nations  ;   to  rear 
an  intelligent,  pious,  patriotic  and  freedom-loving   com- 
munity,  upon    which    the   kingdom    of   Christ   may  be 
erected  ;   to  train  sturdy  defenders  of  civil  and   religious 
liberty,  into  whose  hands,  as  the  people  of  the  saints  of 
the  Most   High,  Christ  will  give  the  kingdom,  the  do- 
minion and  the  greatness  of  the  kingdom  under  the  whole 
heavens  ;   to  erect  an  everlasting  and  universal  kingdom, 
with  Christ  as  its  acknowledged  head. 

Contemplate  the  act  in  which  you  have  just  been 
engaged  in  its  association  with  surrounding  events. 
The  Apostle  John  (Rev.  19,)  represents  the  judg- 
ment of  the  great  whore  that  corrupts  the  nations,  as 
immediately  followed  by  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb. 
The  world  has  just  witnessed  the  heaven-daring  act  of 
the  man  of  sin,  exalting  himself  above  all  that  is  called 
God  and  that  is  worshipped,  and  usurping  divine  prerog- 
ative in  the  dogma  of  papal  infallibility.  No  sooner 
did  he  thus  exalt  himself  to  heaven  than  God  thrust  him 
down  to  hell.  His  capital  city  is  wrested  from  him  ;  the 
imperial  throne  that  supported  him  is  cast  down  by  the 
mighty  power  it  had  challenged  ;  France,  crushed  by  a 
foreign  power,  is  left  to  its  fate;  Paris  is  ground  to  powder 
under  the  heels  of  its  own  infuriated  people  ;  the  masses, 
thrown  into  anarchy,  and  incited  to  fury  by  communistic 
leaders,  gnaw   their  tongues    for   pain,    curse   God  and 


194  A^EMORiAL  Volume. 

look  upward.  Babylon's  sins  have  reached  unto  heaven 
and  God  hath  remembered  her  iniquities,  and  the  smoke  of 
her  torment  ascendeth  up  forever  and  ever. 

Right  upon  the  heels  of  these  events,  the  witnessing 
church  of  God  on  this  side  of  the  sea  is  moved  to 
enter  into  covenant  with  God.  While  his  judgments 
are  consuming  the  great  whore ;  while  her  smoke  is 
rising,  and  multitudes  are  shouting,  "True  and  right- 
eous are  his  judgments,"  it  is  our  blessed  privilege  to 
join  the  heavenly  chorus,  and  sing,  "  Let  us  be  glad 
and  rejoice,  and  give  honor  to  him  :  for  the  marriage 
of  the  Lamb  is  come,  and  his  wife  hath  made  herself 
ready."  Bride  of  Christ  :  Your  vows  are  recorded  on 
high,  received  with  shouts  by  the  redeemed,  while  a 
glad  throng  press  near  to  read  the  inscription  on  the  crown 
you  have  placed  on  the  brow  of  your  King  in  the  dayof 
his  espousals  and  of  the  gladness  of  his  heart,  and  to 
trace  out  the  names,  the  immortal  names,  of  the  hundred 
and  forty-four,  who  have  sealed  their  marriage  cove- 
nant. 

IL  As  a  holy  nation,  a  peculiar  people,  we  have 
sworn  allegiance  to  our  King. 

No  man  can  divest  himself  of  his  relations  and 
obligations  to  civil  society,  nor  can  civil  society  or  its 
members  ever  divest  themselves  of  their  duty  to  God. 
The  first  covenant  transaction  God  ever  entered  into 
with  man,  was  with  man  as  a  member  of  society. 
The  covenant  of  works  was  not  made  with  Adam 
as  an  individual,  for  it  affected  the  race ;  not  as  an 
ecclesiastic,  for  there  was  no  church,  nor  did  that  act 
constitute  the  church,  for  the   church  was  not  needed, 


The  Position  and  Duty  of  Covenanters.     195 

and  was  not  constituted  till  after  the  fall  ;  but  that 
covenant  transaction  constituted  the  state,  made  Adam 
the  head  of  it,  and  established  the  relation  between 
Adam,  as  the  head  of  the  lower  creation,  and  God. 
It  gave  him  authority  over  all  terrestrial  things,  one 
tree  only  excepted,  which  was  to  remind  him  of  his 
subjection  to  God. 

The  Israelites  at  Mount  Sinai  were  organized  not  only 
Into  a  church  but  also  into  a  nation.  The  covenant 
written  on  tables  of  stone  was  a  national  constitution. 
When  Christ  appeared  he  came  not  merely  as  a  prophet 
and  priest  but  also  as  a  king.  To  Pilate,  in  his  trial,  he 
declared  :  "Thou  sayest  that  I  am  a  king.  To  this  end  was 
I  born,  and  for  this  cause  came  I  into  the  world."  He  was 
crucified  with  a  crown  of  thorns  on  his  head,  and  the 
superscription  written  over,  '^  The  King  of  the  Jews." 
To  his  disciples  he  gave  the  command,  "Preach  the 
kingdom  of  God." 

Our  fathers'  covenants  contained  prominently  the  civil 
element.  The  National  Covenant  was  the  constitution  of 
the  Scottish  nation.  To  it  the  king  was  sworn  at  his  coro- 
nation, and  all  the  civil  functionaries  were  required  to 
swear  it  on  their  investiture  with  office.  The  Solemn 
League  and  Covenant  was  a  treaty  between  the  three 
kingdoms,  and  bound  them  as  nations  to  be  faithful  to 
God,  the  true  religion  and  each  other. 

As  they  were  civil  compacts  binding  the  subject  to 
the  throne  of  Britain,  they  bind  neither  us  nor  our  breth- 
ren in  the  British  Isles.  That  covenant-kingdom  of 
which  they  were  the  constitution  and  the  bond  of  union  is 
revolutionized,  the  constitution  has  been  overturned,  the 


T96  Memorial  Volume. 

covenants  violated,  and  to  that  covenant-breaking;  throne 
the  covenanter  is  no  longer  bound,  and  to  those  guilty 
lands  the  violated  covenants  noiv  secure  only  the  penalty 
of  their  violation.  But  though  that  goodly  and  beautiful 
house  which  our  fathers  reared  is  in  ruins,  yet  the  very 
rubbish  and  stones  of  it  are  dear  to  the  saints,  and  every 
principle  of  truth  and  order  which  those  covenants  con- 
tained is  treasured  as  a  sacred  legacy  from  martyred  and 
worthy  forefathers.  To  the  kingdom  of  our  Lord  and 
of  his  Christ,  as  far  as  it  was  represented  in  those 
kingdoms,  and  in  those  covenants,  the  covenanters  and 
their  representatives,  in  every  age  and  in  any  land, 
are,  and  must  be  forever,  bound.  There  never  can  be 
a  failure  on  God's  part  to  fulfil  the  covenant  that  would 
release  the  other  contracting  party.  Those  covenants 
bind  the  covenanters  and  their  descendants  wherever 
they  may  be,  to  labor  to  set  up,  extend  and  establish 
the  kingdom  of  Christ. 

At  the  time  those  covenants  were  taken,  this  land  was 
a  colonial  dependency  of  Great  Britain.  The  great  ma- 
jority of  those  who  peopled  these  States  were  descend- 
ants of  those  who  swore  those  covenants.  Whether  this 
nation  as  such,  is  bound  by  those  covenant  bonds,  or 
entitled  to  those  covenant  privileges,  I  shall  not  stop  to  in- 
quire. This  land  and  its  people  are  now  no  longer  a  part 
of  the  British  nation.  We,  who  hold  ourselves  bound  by 
the  obliganons  of  those  covenants,  and  entitled  to  the 
blessings  they  secure,  claim  no  existing  relation  to  the 
throne  of  Great  Britain,  nor  to  those  covenants  as 
British  covenants.  Our  relations  to  civil  society  are 
here.     This  is  our  countrv,  the   land   of  our  birth    or 


The  Position'  and  Duty  of  Covenanters.      197 

our  adoption  ;  to  it  we  owe  the  obligations  of  the  patriot. 
We  are  part  of  this  nation,  and   share  the  responsibility 
of  its  character  and  acts,  and  we  can  divest  ourselves  of 
responsibility  for  its  sins   only  by  making  our  protest   as 
public  as  are  the  evils  against  which  we  protest. 

While  we  are  part  of  this  nation,  deeply  interested  in 
its  welfare,  and  sharing  its  hopes  and  fears,  we  have  ever 
refused  to  incorporate  or  identify  ourselves  with  that  po- 
litical society  in  the  nation  which  formed  and  administers 
its  government,  because,  in  forming  its  government  and 
framing  the  constitution  which  expresses  its  character 
and  life,  it  has  utterly  ignored  the  authoritv  of  God.  In 
the  constitution  the  people  are  recognized  as  possess- 
ing that  authority  which  belongs  only  to  God,  and  the 
will  of  the  people  constitutionally  expressed  is  declared 
to  be  the  supreme  law  of  the  land.  It  enacts  a  godless 
oath  by  which  the  chief  magistrate  shall  be  qualified  for 
his  otfice,  and  authorizes  the  violation  of  the  Sabbath. 
In  the  language  of  God's  complaint  against  Israel  by  the 
prophet  Hosea,  ''  Israel  hath  cast  off  the  thing  that  is 
good:  the  enemy  shall  pursue  him.  They  have  set  up 
kings,  but  not  by  me :  they  have  made  princes,  and 
I  knew  it  not :  of  their  silver  and  their  eold  have 
they  made  them  idols,  that  they  may  be  cut  off."  On 
account  of  this  insult  offered  to  God,  and  this  attitude  of 
rebellion  against  his  authority  in  which  the  nation  stands, 
we  have  occupied  a  position  of  protest  and  separation 
from  the  government,  and  in  this  our  covenant  we  pub- 
lish and  proclaim  our  sworn  refusal  to  be  a  party  to  the 
plot  "  against  the  Lord  and  his  Christ,  to  break  their  bands 
asunder,  and  cast  awav  their  cords  from  us."    We  swear 

17 


198  Memorial  Volume. 

our  allegiance  to  him  whom  the  nation  refuseth,  and  pre- 
sent his  claims  to  the  Christian  people  of  the  land  as 
demanding  their  most  earnest  attention.  Christians:  is 
your  Redeemer  Lord  of  all  ?  Has  the  Father  committed 
all  judgment  to  the  Son,  and  does  he  require  that  all  men 
should  honor  the  Son  even  as  they  honor  the  Father  ? 
Has  God  declared  that  at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee 
shall  bow,  and  every  tongue  confess  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
Lord  ?  Has  God  declared  that  the  nation  and  kingdom 
that  will  not  serve  the  church's  Head  shall  perish  ?  And 
will  you  hesitate  to  give  him  your  allegiance,  to  place 
the  crown  of  your  nation  at  his  feet,  and  its  sceptre  in 
his  hand  ?  Will  souls  purchased  by  his  blood  refuse  this 
reasonable  service  ? 

We  demand  of  this  nation  that  it  recognize,  in  its  con- 
stitution, Jehovah  as  the  foundation  and  author  of  gov- 
ernment ;  the  Mediator,  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  appointed 
administrator  of  the  divine  government ;  the  revealed 
will  of  God  as  the  rule  by  which  nations  must  frame 
their  laws,  and  the  true  religion  as  the  bond  by  which  the 
state  is  anchored  to  the  throne  of  God.  These  are 
God's  claims  upon  the  nation  ;  and  these  claims,  in  his 
name  and  by  his  authority,  we  proffer,  and  to  them  the 
nation  must  answer.  Like  Pontius  Pilate  and  the  Jews, 
the  nation  has  Christ  upon  its  hands  ;  and  like  the  Roman 
governor,  it  may  well  ask,  "  What  shall  I  do  with  Jesus, 
which  is  called  Christ  ?"  It  must  either  crown  or  crucify 
him.  Until  these  claims  were  distinctly  presented,  the 
nation  might  claim  a  partial  exemption  from  the  penalty 
of  their  neglect,  on  the  plea  of  ignorance  ;  but  now,  in 
the  providence  of  God,  they  are   forced  upon  its  atten- 


The  Position  and  Duty  of   Covenanters.      199 

tion,  and  the  responsibility  must  be  met.      By  this  our 
covenant  we   have  bound  ourselves  not  to  incorporate 
with  the  government  until  it  acknowledge  and  honor  our 
Lord,  and  have  given  our  pledge  that  we  will  labor  to  the 
extent  of  our  ability  for  this  reform,  until  it  be  effected. 
In  Independence  Hall  forty-six  men  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  this  great  nation  in  the  bill  of  human  rights  they 
gave  to  the  world,  and  w'hich  they  pledged  their  fortunes, 
their  sacred  honor  and   their  lives  to   maintain.      Here, 
one    hundred    and   forty-four    men    have    given   to   the 
world    a    proclamation   of   the   rights    of  God    and   the 
claims  of  his  Christ,  and  our  covenant   engagement  to 
maintain  them   at    every    sacrifice.      We    are    erecting 
a  greater,  more  beneficent  and  more  glorious  kingdom, 
that  shall  last  through  all  ages,  and  fill  the  whole  earth. 
Its   motto    is,  "  Glory   to  God  in  the  highest,  and    on 
earth     peace,    good     will     towards    men  ; "     and     the 
solemnity   of  this    our  oath    is    our  pledge  to  God  and 
the    world    that  we    will    never    turn    back  till    it    be 
established.      This  is  a  representation  of  that  kingdom 
for  whose  coming  Christ   taught  his  disciples  to  pray  ; 
these  are  its  subjects,  and  that  is  its  constitution.     It  is 
the  stone  cut  out  of  the  mountain  that  shall  become  a 
great   mountain,    and    fill   the  whole   earth.      "  Lo,  the 
people   shall    dwell   alone,   and   shall    not    be    reckoned 
among   the    nations."      "The    Lord    his   God    is   with 
him,  and  the    shout   of  a   king  is   among  them  j"  "  his 
king    shall    be    higher    than    Agag,    and    his    kingdom 
shall  be   exalted."     "Fear    not,    little   flock;     for   it   is 
your  Father's  good  pleasure  to  give  you  the  kingdom." 
We    have    rallied   around    our   King  ;     we    have  sworn 


200  Memorial  Volumh. 

to  him  our  allegiance  ;  and  when  the  chronicles  of  the 
kingdom  of"  Christ  shall  be  written,  and  the  names  of 
those  who  were  its  early  supporters  recorded,  this  parch- 
ment will  be  brought  forth  as  a  witness,  and  these  names 
enrolled  with  honor  among  his  devoted  followers,  as  men 
who,  in  the  dark  days,  in  the  hold,  in  the  wilderness, 
like  Amasai,  have  said,  "Thine  are  we,  David,  and  on 
thy  side,  thou  son  of  Jesse  :  peace,  peace  be  unto  thee, 
and  peace  be  to  thy  helpers  ;  for  thy  God  heipeth  thee." 
III.  As  enlisted  soldiers  of  the  cross,  we  have  taken 
the  soldier's  oath.  Our  work  is  not  yet  done,  hardly 
well  begun.  We  see  not  yet  all  things  put  under  Christ, 
but  we  know  that  he  is  seated  at  the  feather's  right  hand, 
waiting  till  his  enemies  be  made  his  footstool.  We  may 
by  faith  see  him  as  Joshua  saw  him  beyond  Jordan,  with 
his  sword  drawn  in  his  hand,  coming  as  the  Captain  of 
the  host  of  the  Lord.  There  must  be  overturning,  over- 
turning, overturning,  before  he  come  whose  right  it  is  to 
reign.  Hitherto  we  have  been  only  skirmishing  on  the 
outposts  \  we  must  storm  the  citadel.  We  have  run 
with  the  footmen,  and  they  have  wearied  us  ;  but  we 
must  contend  with  horses.  In  the  land  of  peace  they 
have  wearied  us ;  we  must  come  to  the  swellings  -of 
Jordan.  If  the  teachings  of  prophecy  be  any  guide,  if 
the  signs  of  the  times  teach  any  lesson,  it  is  that  we  are 
approaching  the  great  struggle  of  the  ages.  Satan  has 
come  down,  having  great  wrath  because  he  knows  he 
hath  but  a  short  time.  The  three  unclean  spirits  like 
frogs  have  gone  forth  unto  the  kings  of  the  earth  and  of 
the  whole  woild,  to  gather  them  to  the  battle  of  that 
great  day  of  God   Almighty.      Infidelity,  with  its  com- 


The  Position  and  Duty  of  Cov^enanters.     201 

munistic  cohort,  is  rapidly  gathering  its  forces.  Despot- 
ism, with  its  ally,  popery,  is  strongly  entrenched  in  its 
strongholds,  and  is  putting  forth  superhuman  efforts  to 
rally  its  forces.  All  the  secret  oath-bound  fraterni- 
ties, from  Jesuitry  the  prolific  parent  of  the  brood,  and 
Masonry  with  its  high-sounding  claim  to  antiquity, 
through  the  whole  vile  spawn  whose  name  is  legion  to 
the  Ku-Klux-Klan,  working  in  secret  conclave,  perpe- 
trating their  deeds  of  darkness  and  dreading  the  light, 
have  undermined  all  the  foundations  of  society — have 
their  mines  laid,  and  their  Guy  Fawkcs  ready,  torch  in 
hand,  to  fire  the  train,  explode  the  magazine,  and  scatter 
in  ruins  every  institution  that  stands  in  the  way  of  their 
selfish  and  ambitious  projects.  And  Spiritualism,  allied 
with  hell,  and  calling^  its  demons  from  the  vasty  deep — 
latest  born  of  the  father  of  lies — is  filling  the  air  with  its 
croakings.  As  the  apostle  says,  they  are  the  spirits  of 
devils,  working  miracles,  and  their  coming  is  after  the 
working  of  Satan,  with  all  power  and  signs,  and  lying 
wonders,  deceiving,  if  it  were  possible,  the  very  elect. 

All  these  forces,  which,  like  a  flood  of  waters,  the 
dragon  is  pouring  out  of  his  mouth  to  overwhelm  the 
woman  and  her  man-child,  are  arrayed  against  the  king- 
dom of  Christ.  They  have  possession  of  the  field  ; 
they  are  fortified  in  their  strongholds  ;  empires,  king- 
doms and  republics  are  under  their  sway.  Even  in 
this  asylum  of  the  persecuted,  this  land  of  the  pilgrims, 
infidelity  has  entrenched  itself  in  the  constitution. 
Popery  reigns  in  our  principal  cities  j  while  the  powers 
of  darkness  have  their  secret  ramifications  through  all 
our    institutions,    both    civil    and    ecclesiastical.      The 


202  Memorial  Volume. 

land  must  be  conquered  before  it  can  be  possessed. 
As  the  wars  of  Joshua  and  David  prepared  the  way 
for  the  peaceful  reign  of  Solomon,  so  it  is  through 
great  tribulation  we  must  inherit  the  kingdom. 

The  walls  of  Jericho  must  come  down.  For  though 
the  weapons  of  our  warfare  are  not  carnal,  they  are 
mighty,  through  God,  to  pull  down  the  strongholds  ; 
the  blast   of  the  ram's-horn  trumpets  will  lay  them  low. 

Soldiers  of  the  cross:  are  you  ready  for  the  campaign  ? 
Will  you  meet  the  hardships  of  the  march  anJ  dare  the 
dangers  of  the  field  ?  I  have  your  answer  ;  this  covenant 
is  your  pledge  \  the  bond  that  binds  you  to  your  Captain, 
to  the  cause,  and  to  each  other.  Brothers,  in  the  cause 
of  God,  led  by  your  elder  Brother,  you  are  invincible. 
As  Scotland's  heroes  in  the  hour  of  defeat  and  disaster, 
when  the  unknown  knight  lifted  his  visor  and  discovered 
to  them  the  face  of  their  leader,  their  own  William 
Wallace,  with  a  shout  that  turned  defeat  into  victory, 
followed  their  leader,  so  you,  followers  of  the  Lamb, 
having  seen  that  he  who  goes  before  you  is  the  Lord, 
strong  and  mighty,  the  Lord,  mighty  in  battle,  be  assured 
of  success.  Follow  wheresoever  he  leads,  for  he  will 
lead  you  to  victory.  Your  enemy  is  subtle,  untiring 
and  malignant,  working  by  guile  and  in  the  dark,  organ- 
izing every  form  of  evil  into  one  Jesuitical  horde,  led  by 
the  prince  of  darkness.  But  your  Redeemer  is  mighty  ; 
your  weapon  is  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  victory 
that  overcomes  the  world  is  your  faith.  The  enemy  is 
striving  to  rob  you  of  your  arms  by  taking  the  Bible  from 
your  children  in  the  schools  ;  to  drive  you  from  your 
strongest  position  by  robbing  you  of  your  Sabbath  ;  attack- 


The  Position  and  Duty  of   CovENANTERb'.      203 

ing  the  sacred  bond  of  society,  the  mairiage  relation,  and 
making  unrelenting  warfare  upon  morality  and  religion 
in  every  conceivable  form  and  way  ;  and  all  the  time 
singing  the  siren  song  of  peace  and  liberty  to  quiet  your 
fears,  until,  bound  hand  and  foot,  you  are  helpless  in  his 
power. 

But  the  om.ens  arenotall  evil.  There  are  unmistakable 
evidences  that  the  Captain  of  the  Lord's  host,  with  his 
sword  drawn  in  his  hand,  is  on  the  march  There  is  a 
sound  of  going  in  the  tops  of  the  nmlberry  trees  ;  the 
nations  have  beheld  him  coming  from  Edom,  with  dyed 
garments  from  Bozrah.  Austria  has  been  stricken 
down  ;  France  lies  bleeding  ;  the  kingdom  of  the  man 
of  sin  is  no  more.  The  leaves  of  the  tree  of  life  are 
being  wafted  by  the  Bible  Society  into  the  dark  places 
of  the  earth  for  the  healing  of  the  nations.  The 
angel,  having  the  everlasting  gospel  to  preach,  is  flying 
through  the  heavens,  and  his  trumpet-voice  is  waking 
the  echoes  of  earth's  utmost  shores  ;  the  Chinese 
wall  is  broken  down  ;  the  harbors  of  Japan  are  open  to 
the  gospel-freighted  ships,  and  even  the  Eternal  City 
has  accepted  the  Bible. 

On  this  side  of  the  Atlantic  the  signs  are  equally 
significant.  The  daring  assaults  made  against  morality, 
Christianity,  the  Bible  and  the  Sabbath,  and  the  reckless 
and  reeking  corruption,  manifesting  itself  in  high  places, 
are  rousing  Christian  and  patriotic  men  to  a  sense  of  the 
danger;  the  pulpit  and  the  press  are  beginning  to  speak 
out;  bands  of  earnest  men  are  forming  for  the  fray,  and 
there  looms  in  our  near  horizon  a  tempest  that  is  destined 
to  shake  our  political  fabric  to  its  very  foundation.      But 


204  Memorial   Volume. 

the  issue  is  not  doubtful.  The  Lamb  shall  overcome 
them,  and  they  that  are  with  him  are  called,  and  chosen, 
and  faithful. 

Bride  of  the  Lamb  !  This  covenant  is  your  marriage 
certificate.  Children  of  the  church  !  You  need  no 
longer  ask  for  the  bill  of  your  mother's  divorcement. 
She  has  returned  to  her  first  love.  She  has  brought  back 
the  glorious  days  of  her  forefathers'  covenants.  Citizens 
ofZion!  Here  is  your  declaration  of  independence — the 
magna  charta  of  your  liberty.  Soldiers  of  the  cross  ! 
Here  is  your  muster-roll,  and  here  are  your  names,  placed 
on  this  imperishable  instrument  ;  they  are  destined  either 
to  glory  or  infamy.  Reformed  Presbyterian  Church  of 
America  !  You  are  now  in  covenant  with  God,  and  this 
is  your  bond.  Treasure  it  up  where  no  sacrilegious  hand 
can  deface  or  destroy  it.  Make  for  it  an  ark  of  precious 
wood  and  overlay  it  with  gold.  It  is  the  covenant  of  God 
with  his  new  testament  Israel.  Spread  it  before  your  chil- 
dren. Hold  it  up  before  the  rising  ministry,  that  they 
may  draw  inspiration  from  it  for  their  work.  Rear  for 
it  a  memorial  building  in  which  the  sons  of  the  prophets 
shall  be  polished  as  shafts  for  the  quiver  of  the 
Almighty.  And  may  we  never  forget  that  thy  vows  are 
upon  us,  O  God. 


205 


OUR  PAST  AND  OUR  FUTURE. 

BY  REV.  JOHN   GALBRAITH. 

In  retiring  from  these  holy  services,  it  may  be  inter- 
esting and  profitable  to  review  briefly  what  God  has 
wrought  for  us  in  the  days  just  gone  by,  to  inquire  how 
we  have  been  exercised,  and  then,  from  our  mount,  to 
take  a  survey  of  the  future. 

''God  hath  done  great  things  for  us."      He  has  taken 
us  into  covenant  with  himself,  and   inclined  us  to  give 
ourselves    to    him.      The    prevailing    apathy    and    other 
causes  that,  for  a  time,  threatened  to  prevent  the  Synod 
from  covenanting  at  this  meeting,  have  been  removed  ; 
doubts  and  fears  have  been  dispelled,  and  we  have  been 
enabled,  under  divine  direction,  to  engage   in  that  great 
work  to  which  we  so  long  looked  with  oiingled  feelings 
of  hope  and  fear.      How  highly  favored  we  have  been  ! 
The   bond   of  the   covenant   sworn  and    subscribed    by 
Synod  on  last  Saturday,  places  us  even  in  advance  of  the 
position,  noble  as  it  was,  occupied  by  those  fathers  who 
swore  the  National  Covenant  of  Scotland,  or  those  who 
swore  the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant.      God  has  put 
special  honor  upon   us    by   allowing   us,   though   few  in 
number,  to  swear  this  Covenant.     Greater  far  the  honor 
conferred    upon    the    one    hundred    and   forty-four  who 
lifted  up  their  right  hands  to  God,  to  swear  fidelity  and 
allegiance  to  the  throne  of  God  in  this  land,   th>n   upon 
the  others,  who  more  than    two    centuries   ago,  in  vast 
multitudes,  swore  their  allegiance  to  their  heavenly  King, 
in  the  British  Isles. 


2o6  Memorial  Volume. 

This  covenant  connects  us  with  the  past^  and  binds  to 
all  the  attainments  that  the  church  has  reached,  indicates 
the  path  of  present  duty,  and  will  most  assuredly  con- 
nect us  with  the  future  of  the  true  and  faithful  spouse  of 
Ch;;ist. 

On  yesterday  the  Lord  truly  brought  us  into  his  ban- 
queting house.  His  word  was  heard  with  gladness,  his 
praise  was  sung  with  joy.  We  sat  at  his  table,  and  our 
covenant  was  sealed.  God  is  not  only  the  God  cf 
Abraham,  of  Isaac,  and  of  Jacob,  and  the  God  of  the 
fathers,  but  our  God. 

How  have  we  been  exercised  ?  It  becomes  me  only 
to  suggest,  nay,  urge,  that  each  one  of  us  look  into  his 
own  heart,  to  see  that  we  are  right  in  the  sight  of  God, 
and  to  try  ourselves  at  the  bar  of  our  own  consciences 
as  to  the  part  we  have  acted  in  all  these  holy  solemnities. 

In  taking  an  outlook  into  the  future,  is  there  not 
reason  to  fear  defection,  backsliding  and  apostasy  not 
very  far  away  ?  Such  was  the  case  in  the  days  of  our 
covenanted  ancestors,  and  such  a  contingency  is  by  no 
means  unlikely  to  occur  with  us.  In  view  of  this,  let 
no  one  cast  about  him  to  discover  who  of  his  brethren  is 
likely  to  prove  perfidious,  but  let  each  one  see  that  his 
own  heart  is  strictly  watched,  and  his  own  integrity  pre- 
served. Then  all  will  be  well.  Let  all  stand  resolutely 
to  their  oath.  Then  fears  will  most  happily  be  re- 
moved, and  greatest  expectations  far  more  than  realized. 

Brethren  !  Cherish  the  persuasion,  and  never  permit 
a  doubt  to  enter  the  mind,  that  under  the  bonds  of  this 
covenant,  as  our  banner  for  the  truth,  our  glorious 
Saviour  and  reigning  Redeemer  will  lead  us  forth  from 


Our  Past  and  our  Future.  207 

victory  to  victory,  until  every  foe  shall  be  overcome, 
the  whole  world  brought  into  the  obedience  of  faith,  and 
all  earthly  kingdoms  become  kingdoms  of  our  Lord  and 
of  his  Christ. 


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